


5 Times Walter & Paige Almost Made Love, and When They Finally Did

by FoxPhile, WeBuiltThePyramids, WriterFreak001



Category: Scorpion (TV 2014)
Genre: 5 Times, F/M, First Time, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-25 22:13:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 28,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9848630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoxPhile/pseuds/FoxPhile, https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeBuiltThePyramids/pseuds/WeBuiltThePyramids, https://archiveofourown.org/users/WriterFreak001/pseuds/WriterFreak001
Summary: This fic is part of a collaboration between WeBuiltThePyramids, WriterFreak001 and FoxPhile. Each Author has written two stories that, together, make up the collection.  After three months of dating, Walter and Paige agree to physically consummate their relationship, but encounter various obstacles.





	1. 5 Times Walter & Paige Almost Made Love and WhenThey Finally Did - Chapter One

**Chapter One**

**By WeBuiltThePyramids**

* * *

 

“Toby,” Happy said, slightly more firmly than the first time.  “ _Toby_!”

“I’m awake!” Toby said, jumping to his feet.

“You’ve been pretty out of it all day, kid,” Cabe said.  “Everything okay?”

“You mean other than the fact that none of us have gotten any sleep for the past three days and I have to send half of the paycheck we got today to the bookie I still owe.  My body is trying to put me to sleep both for biological necessity and to protect me from fixating on that.”

“I get that,” Cabe said.  “My ex – wife used sleep as a coping mechanism...sometimes.  But your desk is no place for that, especially at the end of a long day and a long case.  Let the wife take you home, doctor.”

Toby frowned.  “Wife?” He blinked, looking at Happy in alarm.  “Have I been so out of it I missed our wedding?”

“Nah, kid,” Cabe said with a smile.  “I just like the sound of it.”

“It was a joke, old man,” Toby said.  “Sarcasm.  Perhaps you’ve heard of it.”

“Come on, Toby.” Happy said.  “Let’s go home.  I’ll go get the car started if you promise you don’t fall back asleep and leave me out there.”

Toby leaned over and kissed her cheek.  “Never again, sweet thing.”

Happy tried to hide her smirk as she grabbed the keys and exited the garage.

“You really didn’t get that that was a joke?” Sylvester asked, glancing at Cabe.

“What I don’t get is the insinuation that I can’t pick up on sarcasm because I’m older than the rest of you,” Cabe said, “when the most oblivious one here on that subject is Walter.”

“Well, how about this one then.  What do you get when you cross a joke with a rhetorical question?” Toby asked.  He promptly turned and walked out the door.

Cabe blinked.  “Huh?”

“That reminds me of a joke we used to tell in school,” Ralph said.  “We’d ask someone _hey, how do you keep an idiot in suspense_ , then when they’d ask how, we’d say _I’ll tell you later_ and then go back to what we were doing.”

“Ralph,” Paige said. “That is horribly mean.”

“I never actually said that to anyone, Mom,” Ralph said.  His voice grew quieter.  “They always said that to me.”

Paige bit her lip.  Walter reached out and put a hand on her back.

“Well, I’m taking off too,” Sylvester said.  “I have to prepare for tomorrow, and even though I can memorize all the required material four times faster than average despite it not being in my field of expertise, I do want to get a good night’s sleep on top of that.”

“Me too,” Cabe said.  “Walter, Paige, you want one of us to take Ralph?”

Paige and Walter glanced at each other, and she cleared her throat.  “No, Cabe, it’s alright.  I haven’t seen much of him lately either.”

Cabe raised his hand as he and Sylvester exited the building.

Walter dropped into a hunker.  “Sorry we kept your mom so busy these past few days, bud.”

“I enjoyed being able to help with the case.”

Walter grinned.  “I know you did.  We were glad to have your help.”  He reached out and tousled Ralph’s hair.  Paige smiled.  Since she and Walter had started dating, Paige couldn’t help but notice the change in her son.  He seemed to float everywhere.  The smile was almost never on his face.

Ralph needed Walter just as much as his mother did.

Walter rose, turning toward Paige and sliding an arm around her waist.  “Good night,” he whispered, his nose nearly touching hers.

“Night,” she said with a smile, tipping her head just enough to kiss him.

She and Ralph were already in the car when it occurred to her that Cabe’s insinuation might have bothered Walter, might have given him the same slightly uneasy feeling that she’d gotten.  “Ralph, can you give me just a minute, please?”

The boy was just putting on his seat belt.  “Yeah, sure.”

She found Walter at his desk, near where he’d been when they’d left the garage.  “Oh,” he said when he saw her.  “Did you forget something?”

“No.” She walked toward him.  “I just wanted to make sure that Cabe didn’t make you uncomfortable.”

“His comment about my inability to detect jokes and sarcasm?” Walter said.  “I actually did appreciate what Toby said before he left.  In posing the question as a joke, but then leaving and therefore leaving the question as rhetorical, he provided the answer to the joke within the question itself.”

“No,” Paige said.  “I mean yes, but that’s not what I was talking about.  I meant him suggesting that he could take Ralph so we could have time alone.  Because he was thinking...” She shifted her weight nervously.  “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Okay so…” Paige blew out a long breath.  “Have you thought about…” she gestured back and forth between them “you and me…” she wracked her brain for the way he would phrase it.  “Becoming intimate?”  _We’ve been dating several months.  They all assume that we are already._

His eyes darkened and his fingers pressed lightly against her hips, giving Paige her answer.  Then he cleared his throat.  “I, uh…” he frowned in concentration.  “I w – I have.  I only…” he bit his lip.  “I…”

“Say what you’re thinking,” Paige said, reaching up and stroking his cheek.  “Go ahead.”

“I have thought about us,” he said.  “I have thought about it.  So much.  But my past intimate encounters…I wasn’t ready for them.”

Paige blinked in concern.  “Were you pressured?”

“It’s not their fault,” Walter said, “the women.  Sarah and Janice both, I felt I had to because we were in a relationship but if I’d told them I didn’t want to…I don’t doubt that they would have let it be.  But I…I didn’t love them, I…I never loved anyone before you.  You know that.”

Paige nodded, and Walter continued.  “I considered it a fulfillment of the obligations of a relationship.  I didn’t want to.  I was uncomfortable and my experiences weren’t pleasant.  Not for them and not…” he bit his lip.  “Not for me either.  Everyone says it’s always good for…for the man, but…” he shook his head.  “It wasn’t.”  He looked down, averting his eyes from Paige.  “And with you…” he closed his eyes and shook his head.  “With you, for the first time, physical intimacy is something I want.  But you have Ralph.  And…and I know that you spent the better part of ten years without…and…” he looked at her again.  “And I don’t want to do this unless you know for sure that _you’re_ ready.  Because…” he bit his lip, taking a deep breath before continuing.  “Because I don’t want you to regret me.”

“Oh, Walter,” Paige breathed, running a hand up and through his hair.  “Walter I could never regret you.”  She leaned in and pressed her lips to his, melting against him as he kissed her back, his arms sliding around her back.  When their lips separated for air, she smiled, pressing the tip of her nose against his.  “I love you,” she said.  “Please don’t doubt my desire to be with you…in any capacity.”  She kissed him again.  “We have those lunch plans tomorrow,” she murmured against his lips.  “What time were you picking me up?”

“Eleven thirty,” Walter said.  “The restaurant expects us at noon.”

“I don’t have to get Ralph until four,” Paige said.  “It’s lunch, we’ll be at the restaurant an hour at most.  We will have a couple of hours when we get back.”  She cocked her head to the side, running a finger down the middle of Walter’s lips.  “Do you want to…plan…for after lunch?  Go up to the loft and get to know each other a bit more?”

“Mmmm.” Walter kissed her again, gently, and Paige whimpered against his lips as his fingers ran slowly through her hair.  “That sounds wonderful.”

“Are you sure?” Paige asked quietly.  What he’d just told her made her worried.  “Are you sure you’re not…because I told you I wanted to, are you sure you’re not feeling like it’s an obligation?”

“I’m not,” Walter said, his grip on her tightening as if to give his words more credibility.  “Paige, shy of…” he stopped, drawing a slow breath.  “Shy of saving my sister, I have never wanted anything more than being right where we are.” He kissed her again.  “Believe me.  The only thing that distresses me is that we don’t have time tonight.  And that we’re tired, anyway.  Because I want you.”

Paige’s eyes fell closed and she sighed as her lips met Walter’s again.  Now that they’d had the discussion, now that they had _plans_ to go to bed, Walter’s kiss shot through her like an electric current, the feeling pooling in her stomach, reminding her of the night they kissed for the first time and she’d have been willing to cross every line in existence if he hadn’t pulled away.  She was tempted to pull him upstairs tonight.  But her son was waiting in the car.  And she didn’t want to overwhelm him – or herself.  Loving Walter O’Brien, being loved _by_ Walter O’Brien, was already so different from any other love she’d shared with anyone.  In many ways, this relationship was a first.  And in that way, she and he weren’t so different.

* * *

 

“I’m surprised you didn’t order that new duck appetizer,” Walter said.  He hadn’t ordered his smelly fish.  Paige appreciated that.

“Oh gosh, I didn’t tell you,” she said with a laugh.  “I can’t eat duck right now.”

He cocked his head.  “Why not?” He asked curiously.

She smirked.  “Because of the Duck Avenger.”

“Oh, God, yeah,” Walter dropped the fry he was holding back onto his plate.  “I still have to read that.”

“No no,” Paige says.  “This isn’t Sylvester’s Super Fun Guy fanfiction.  This is real life.  Remember how I was a little late getting gas in the car last week, and you commented that traffic must have been really bad?”

“Mmm hmm.”

“Well, we were launched into a case, so I didn’t elaborate, but I had to go in, because for some reason it wasn’t taking my card.  And there was this guy in there, and he had like, these big camouflage suspenders on.  And he was telling the poor girl at the counter that he needed a phone to call the police.”

“And you didn’t get out of there?” Walter asked.

“Okay Walt,” Paige said, “there was no pressing issue and even if there had been given the case we had that day it still probably would have been the tamest part of my Tuesday.” He smirked.  “So anyway,” she continued, “the girl asks him what’s wrong, and he tells her that the previous day, he saw someone run over these ducklings with their car, and one car had already swerved to avoid them, but this guy went right on through.”

Walter cocked his head.  “The previous day?”

“Yes.”

“How does that warrant calling the cops?”

“Can I finish the story?”

“Right.  Sorry.”

Paige took a sip of her water.  “So the girl asks him why he’s calling the cops.  He gets indignant and says he needs to report a crime, and isn’t there any sense of justice in the world anymore?  He turns and sees me, and says _you there!  Wouldn’t you be angry if your toddlers were senselessly murdered?_ ”  She shrugged.  “I mean, I wouldn’t let any toddler of mine jaywalk on the highway, so it’s kinda apples and oranges.”  She took another spoonful of soup.  “So then the guy, he’s got this gigantic mug, he asks her to refill it for him.  She says that mug isn’t from this gas station but she can sell him some coffee.  He tells her that he’s disgusted that she won’t help a Good Samaritan out.  At this point, the girl sees that I’m impatient, and she suggests to the gentleman that he step to the side and make his phone call so she can help me, since I look like I’m ready.  He turns to look at me, but looks past me, and rushes by me and outside.”

Walter cocked his head.  “Why?”

“I’m getting there,” Paige said.  “Although...” she smirked and reached across the table to take one of his hands, “given what our after lunch plans are...I appreciate that you ask a lot of questions.”  She paused a moment, giving Walter what she hoped was a flirtatious look, then launched back into her story.  “So it turns out some...official vehicle...I think it was the road commission...was turning into the gas station parking lot, and he ran out to tell _them_ about these baby ducks.  By the time I filled up with gas and left, a cop car was in the turn lane toward the station, so I guess he eventually did call them.  But I mean, he’s not going to get anywhere.”

“This is the strangest story you’ve ever told me.”

“It was really...not the way I’d expected to spend my morning,” Paige said with a laugh.  “And being on Scorpion for several years now, you’d think that nothing could surprise me anymore.  But real life...it continues to be stranger than anything you read in books.”

“Well, that does make sense, thank you,” Walter said, addressing the end of his sentence to the waitress as she appeared seemingly out of nowhere to refill their glasses and ask if they were ready for the check.  “I think truth is stranger than fiction more often than not. Because fiction can only be created from the limitations of the human mind. The real world does not operate under any such restrictions. The real world does what's possible regardless of whether or not we can imagine it.”

Paige stared at him.  Sometimes she got annoyed when he overanalyzed her comments.  But there was just something about the way he put that particular analysis.  “You ready to get out of here?”

“Yeah,” Walter said, sticking his credit card into the folder.  “Yeah, she should be back soon.”

Paige shifted her weight.  “Pay cash.  Let’s go now.”  She was glad that she wasn’t in a relationship with a Toby Curtis.  He’d have realized that the explanation about the limits that the human brain has was what had gotten her hot and bothered.  For once, she was glad that Walter was still, for all his good intentions, fairly oblivious.

“If that’s what you’d like.”  Walter pulled out his wallet, leaving enough for the bill and a generous tip.  “Let’s go.”

Paige jumped up, taking his hand as they left the restaurant.

* * *

 

“Something is going on up ahead,” Walter said, gesturing with his chin.

Paige had just noticed what he was talking about.  “The joys of living in L.A.” she commented, though now that she’d thought about it, the traffic hadn’t been heavy at all leading up to this.  She reached over and turned on the radio.

_“...no serious injuries, but reports say that it will take time to clear the highway.  Travelers are advised to seek alternate routes.”_

“Hmmm,” Walter said, glancing briefly at the radio before refocusing on the road.  “We just passed an exit.  Doesn’t look like there’s another one before where those lights are.”

Paige hadn’t yet noticed the lights, which had just come into view in the distance, at the top of a slight incline.  “Dammit,” she said.  Up ahead, horns started blaring.  Under normal circumstances, Paige would have rolled her eyes at them.  But she’d been looking forward to getting home from lunch, and now they’d be delayed.  And it’d been a _long_ time since she’d been this excited about consummating a relationship.  She slid her hand over to rest on Walter’s knee as the car slowed to a stop, several hundred yards before the lights.  He looked down at it, then removed one of his hands from the steering wheel to cover hers.  “It’s only one – forty five,” he commented.

“I know.” She smiled at him.  “I’m just looking forward to getting home.”

“Me too.”  He squeezed her hand, looking over at her.  “I said this earlier, but uh...that’s a good top.”

Paige smiled.  She’d been very choosy about her bra and shirt combination that morning.  And on top of everything else, this particular shirt was fairly easy to unbutton.  She was looking forward to Walter discovering that.  “Thank you.”

Walter’s eyes were lingering, and Paige blushed.  He noticed, his smile turning into an embarrassed grin as he looked away.  “Hey,” she said, stretching out the word until he looked back at her.  She raised her eyebrows.  She’d left the top two buttons undone from the time she’d gotten dressed, and she now lifted her free hand up to deftly undo the third.

“Paige, we are in the car.”

He was trying to come off as a voice of reason, but Paige could tell by the subtle change in his tone that wasn’t why he didn’t want her to undo another one.  “Ah, you really like this top, huh?”

“Not the top,” Walter said.  “Y – you.” 

He smiled immediately.  He knew he’d said the right thing.  Paige leaned across and kissed him, grunting slightly at the restrictive seat belt.  When she pulled back, she gave a loud huff of frustration as she fell back into her seat.  “Ugh, I hate traffic.”

It was a sentence she repeated several times over the next hour and a half.

* * *

 

“That was the absolute worst,” Paige said, shoving her hand into her hair as they finally moved – inched really – past the scene of the accident.

“I wish they hadn’t refused my offer of help,” Walter said.  “I could have called the team, Happy could have improved their equipment.”

“No one is around today, Walter,” Paige said.  “By the time they got here it would have cut less than fifteen minutes off the total time.”

“I do appreciate you stopping me from making that guy mad.”

“That’s why you keep me around, after all,” she said with a playful smile.  “It used to be, anyway.”

“No,” Walter said.  “It was never entirely about that.” He looked at her.  “You know that, right?”

She smiled.  “Yeah.”

It was nearly half past three, and they were still twenty minutes from home.  At this rate, they’d be back at the garage _after_ it was time for her to leave to get Ralph. 

“I guess we’re going to, uh, have to wait.  To...”

“We’ll get home at three fifty two.  At least you won’t be late to get Ralph.”

“Yeah.”  Paige said again.  She looked down at her hands.  “It could have been worse, I suppose.  We could have been involved in the accident.”

“We may have to thank the Duck Avenger for that,” Walter quipped, “seeing as you telling that story slightly delayed us in leaving the restaurant.”

She rolled her eyes.  “Shut up.”

Walter grinned.

Paige heard the opening notes of a song she liked.  “Ooooh.  She turned up the volume, closing her eyes and tapping one foot.  Music always helped ease her frustrations.

* * *

 

“Well, thank you for lunch,” Paige said as they both walked into the garage.  She crossed to her desk, yanking off her shoes and replacing them with the sneakers she’d left on her chair.  “I really hate to have to run,” she said, looking up at him.  “I _really_ hate that I have to run.  Especially today.”

“You have to get Ralph,” Walter said.  “It’s completely understandable.”

“I know, I just...” She stood up.  “I don’t like having to postpone plans.  And uh...” she stepped closer to him.  “And I was really looking forward to this.”

He slid his arms around her.  “Go get your son.”  He kissed her, and they rested their foreheads together.  “Nothing with us has ever happened when we intended it to.  But it always does.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Paige said quietly.  They separated and, smiling at him, Paige turned and headed for the door.

“Paige?”

She stopped, a hand already on the knob.  “Yeah?”

Walter smiled.  “I love you.”

* * *

 


	2. 5 Times Walter & Paige Almost Made Love, and When They Finally Did - Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2. Walter and Paige have a nice, relaxing day all to themselves….

**Chapter Two**

**By WriterFreak001**

* * *

 

Walter didn’t know how long he had been tapping his fingers on the top of his desk, but he was growing more anxious by the minute. The longer he waited for Paige to arrive, the more nervous he became, wondering if he had _completely_ imagined his and Paige’s discussion the other day of moving their relationship forward and becoming physically intimate.

After their plans to consummate their relationship the other afternoon had been interrupted due to a rather aggravating and untimely traffic jam, today was their next promised date to take things to the next level, unless, of course, he had conjured the entire conversation in his head… which, due to the many dreams he’s had since long before they started dating, it was very, _very_ possible….

Walter closed his eyes tightly and shook his doubts away; just because Paige was running late this morning, it didn’t have to mean he was suddenly delusional. He and Paige had been dating for almost three months now and have been close friends, excluding the ‘Interloper Effect,’ (denoted by Walter regarding the “dark months” of their friendship), for much, _much_ longer.

Walter was _completely_ on board the other afternoon with the decision to engage in sexual intercourse with Paige Dineen, so why was he so nervous this morning? He knew he was self-conscious of his nakedness, but could that really be the reason? She had seen some parts of him – mainly his buttocks and _possibly_ his nipples and _maybe_ a short, accidental peek at his genitals – many months ago at that nudist spring, and he had seen well enough of her to have sparked some very erotic fantasies at night, so how is the prospect of being very naked with her while starting a sexual relationship any different?

 _‘Because, back then, all Paige wanted to do was castrate you for sending her precious Tim away!’_ a voice which sounded very much like Toby exclaimed in the back of his mind. _‘Now, what she wants to do is fu—’_

He shook his thoughts away the second he heard the door click open, and a giddy grin colored his lips as his girlfriend stepped inside, kicking the door behind her. “Sorry, I’m late,” Paige apologized as she walked in slowly, careful not to drop the large, heavy box of case files on the way to her desk.

“Oh, here!” Walter scrambled to his feet and rushed to help her, “Let me get that.” Without waiting for her to reply, he easily lifted it out of her hands and hauled it over to her desk for her to file later.

“Thanks,” she smiled appreciatively as she stretched her arms and rolled her shoulders before popping her neck. “That box was heavier than it looked!”

“By the size of it, it looks like you have at least 150 files in there,” Walter noted as he examined the contents of the box, “What _are_ these, exactly?”

“It’s actually 184 files,” Paige corrected with a smile before moving forward to greet her boyfriend with a morning kiss, “They’re copies of last year’s cases, well at least the cases from July 1st to December 31st. I wanted to go through them one more time to make sure no important details were missed. Now that _that’s_ been taken care of, they can be archived.”

Walter glanced at the files one more time. “I’ll be sure to make space for them in the back with the others sometime later.” He paused for a moment and noticed the dark circles under her beautiful hazel eyes, “How long did it take for you to work on these? And why didn’t you ask for any help?”

Paige slid her arms around his back and smirked. “Took about four weeks. And,” she leaned a bit backwards, still smirking, “the reason I didn’t ask for help is because you are a man who loves facts. I don’t always put everything into the case files, _especially_ if Scorpion has to bend a few laws to solve the case. So,” she paused and hummed quietly, “think of it as me preventing you from developing a major headache.”

Walter thought for a moment and then shrugged. “Makes sense, I guess.” He decided not to comment on the dark circles under her eyes and gave her a spontaneous, loving smile. She looked stunningly beautiful this morning, regardless. “Have you had coffee? Eaten breakfast?”

“Coffee, no. Breakfast, yes.” Paige grinned at Walter’s thoughtfulness. He was such a wonderful boyfriend, always placing hers and Ralph’s needs before his own. A man had never done that for Paige, making Walter incredibly more special. Genius aside, Walter O’Brien was a rare man to find, and she was unbelievably lucky to have found him, even if it took a while for them to get where they were today.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Walter laughed, taking her hand and leading her to the kitchen. “I brewed a fresh pot this morning.”

“With cinnamon?” Her eyes lit up like a child.

Walter chuckled softly. As if she _needed_ to ask.

“Of course,” Walter replied automatically, squeezing her hand.

Today was going to be all about Paige, placing all of her needs – nonsexual ones included – first. Regardless of the slight hiccup the other afternoon and in spite of his lack of sexual experience, he wanted to make their first time together special and memorable. And going forward, any time they spend the night together, he inwardly promised to make Paige feel just as special as, if not more than, the first.

Gently swinging Paige in front of him, he carefully spun her around until she was facing the coffee maker and pinned her against the counter. He then wrapped his arms around her in a loving embrace, his arms secured around her abdomen, and he kissed the back of her head before resting his chin on top of her right shoulder. She squirmed and giggled a little as his breath tickled the short hairs of her neck, and she glided her arms over his, lacing her fingers with his fingers before leaning back and turning her head slightly to kiss him. Now _that_ was a morning kiss.

“I love you,” Paige whispered languidly against his lips, and she smiled when he smiled, happily accepting his mouth with hers as he moved in to kiss her deeply. Paige, a little uncomfortable, popped her lips off of his for a split second to readjust, twisting around in his embrace before stringing her arms around his neck and claiming his mouth again.

Eagerly, Walter gripped her hips and brought them impossibly closer, and he growled against her sweet, wonderful lips as he, simultaneously, swallowed her low moan. Then he did something even more spontaneous and lifted her up onto the counter, stopping as she squeaked his name, his sudden actions surprising both of them.

“Did I…,” he stammered, suddenly flustered, “Was I too presumptuous?”

“No,” Paige laughed, her warm hands finding his face as she leaned forward to kiss him softly. “That was actually kinda hot,” she slid her fingers through Walter’s dark curls, scooting herself forwards a bit. “But before we continue,” she paused to catch her breath, “perhaps we should briefly go over some boundaries?”

Walter exhaled and racked his brain to focus. Then he nodded swiftly and muttered, “That’s probably a good idea.” He glanced over to the couch, “Do you want to… go there?”

“We can stay here,” she offered as she hopped off of the counter. Walter watched her closely and she took a seat at the table, “I know you have problems focusing when we’re in any kind of compromising position, so let’s take a beat, briefly go over some do’s and don’ts and then take things from there.” She reached far for his hand and squeezed it gently. “Is that okay?”

Wanting to give Paige the ultimate experience, he nodded and smiled. “Of course.” Without a word, Walter turned around and poured both of them some coffee before placing the mugs onto the table. He took a seat across from Paige and leaned as forward as he could before finding her hands and latching their fingers together, needing some form of physical contact to remind himself he wasn’t dreaming.

Paige, after taking a sip of her cinnamon brew, closed her eyes and hummed with delight. “Perfect.”

Walter gazed at her and grinned, squeezing her hand softly. “I concur.”

Paige blushed deeply and giggled but did not respond. Instead, she leaned over the table a little bit and cocked her head slightly to the left. “So, Walter, do you have any questions for me before we consummate our relationship?”

“Oh, um,” Walter really hadn’t thought about anything, “What do you like,” he cleared his throat and flushed, “What do you dislike?”

Paige, suddenly heated and completely unaware that she was drawing small circles on top of the table, quietly answered. “Since it’ll be our first time, I would feel weird if there was any oral sex involved.”

“I completely agree,” Walter nodded in agreement, still red as a tomato. “Anything else I should know?”

“Yes,” Paige, not as flustered anymore, gave Walter a small smile. “Absolutely no talking about our friends, exes and my son when we’re intimately together.”

“Understandable,” Walter agreed once more. “Anything else?”

“Hmmm… those are my main things…. If I come up with something, I’ll let you know immediately,” Paige pursed her lips together. Surely, there was something else. Unable to remember, she met Walter’s eyes and smiled softly. “What about you? Anything you like or don’t like?”

Walter didn’t have to spend too much time to think. “I really love kissing your lips; I’d kiss you anywhere you’d like, but there’s just something about your lips against mine that makes me go crazy,” he offered her a small smile before continuing. “As far as what I don’t like… Basically all of what you said, especially the, uh, oral sex part.”

“Noted. Anything else?”

“I want to keep this soon-to-be-new establishment of our relationship private from the rest of the team. I mean, we can tell them eventually, preferably next year, but for a while, if at all possible, I would like us to remain _us_ for a while. At least so I can have time to process everything because sex with you – not that it would be a bad thing – will put my mind on emotional overdrive, and it’ll take time for me to adjust, but,” he suddenly smirked, “I firmly believe repetition remedies my condition and will allow me to process things at a faster rate.” Walter smirked as Paige rolled her eyes and laughed. Good. She thought that was funny.

“Keeping our sexual relationship a secret from everybody is perfectly fine with me,” Paige grinned, giving Walter a quick thumb’s up. “But, I think we’ll need to say something to Ralph… maybe not give him the entire story, but after today, I reckon you’ll be spending the night more often – even if it’s just to sleep – at my place since the garage is infiltrated with other geniuses more than half the time. We can at least tell him that – that you’ll be even _more_ involved in our lives than before. That’s all he’ll need to know.”

“Of course. Ralph is an important part of the equation.” Walter replied without hesitation.

He took a sip of his coffee, but nearly spat it out as Paige exclaimed, “Ooh! That reminds me. I know this might be obvious, but no sex when Ralph’s at home. There’s thin walls in my condo, and I don’t want him awake at night, hearing us getting our freak on.”

“Noted,” Walter nodded once. “Anything else we need to discuss?”

“Nope,” she shook her head and smiled brightly. “I think we covered the basics.”

“Good.”

“Mhmm,” Paige’s voice cracked a little. “Good.”

There was a sudden silence that filled the room between them, and then, as if they had been both struck by lightning, Walter immediately stood up, and Paige haphazardly climbed over the table and leapt into his arms, knocking over the coffee cups in the process. Not caring for the mess on the floor as the ceramic mugs shattered to pieces, Walter and Paige effortlessly melted together as Paige’s hands flew into Walter’s hair with his hands gripping her ass to support her. Her legs, like flowy noodles transforming into steel brackets, latched onto the genius’s hips, their lips fusing seamlessly together.

The intensity of their kiss was far beyond anything they’ve experienced, and they were lost to the rest of the world as they mindlessly moved across the room towards the couch. Their swift movements bumped them into every furniture in their path, but they didn’t seem to care one way or another.

As they tangoed chaotically past the staircase, Walter’s need to bring Paige closer by gripping her ass tighter and bumping her pelvis to his, resulted in his buttocks pushing over the box of casefiles on Paige’s desk, sending them flying across the cement floor. Still, neither Walter nor Paige seemed to notice nor care.

“God, I want this so badly,” Walter mumbled against her the side of her throat, his tongue caressing the sensitive spot below her earlobe, eliciting a sudden sigh past Paige’s lips. She gripped the back of his shirt tightly, crumpling the material in her hands as she closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip as she felt the beginning of Walter’s erection rubbing her between her legs. Ugh, why did she decide _not_ to where her flirty, black skirt today?!

Somehow, in their messy path of destruction, they found the couch, and she was falling backwards, her back softly smacking against the cushions, sending a light cluster of dust specks in various directions. Again, neither she, nor Walter, cared. Her legs lost their grip around Walter’s hips, but she easily corrected that slight disappointment by wrapping them around him again, this time tighter so she could feel everything she was doing to him.

“Me too,” she breathed out, her voice sounding more husky than normal, causing the genius to growl as he captured her lips again. God she loved kissing Walter O’Brien, and she loved that _he_ loved kissing her. Her arms snaked under his arms and cross his back, her nails scratching at the thin cotton material of his shirt, and Ooh! She _really_ loved the feeling of him pressing his pelvis hard against hers. Walter’s hands – in their haste to feel everything that was Paige Dineen – swiftly moved from her cheeks, to her shoulders and then to her breasts.

God, yes.

He squeezed them gently, and he grunted in response to her quiet sigh, telling him she liked him touching her there. Being blessed with hyper sensitive breasts, Paige could feel his ministrations through her shirt and her bra, the sensation shooting straight down her to her core.

Yes, yes, y—

“THE FUN HAS ARRIIIIIIVED,” a sudden, unwanted voice sang loudly, immediately throwing Walter off of Paige, causing him to stumble backwards. Walter, very aware of the tent between his legs, scrambled to his feet and sat down against the couch quickly, taking one of the pillows to hide his erection. Similarly, Paige pinned a pillow against her chest to cover her peaked breasts. Damn it for wearing a sexy, thin bra today! “Thank you! Thank you very much,” the voice continued, oblivious to the commotion beside him.

Walter was suddenly fuming. His plans to intimately be with Paige had been thwarted AGAIN!!! “RAY!” He clenched his fists, still clutching the pillow. “EVER HEARD OF KNOCKING!?!?”

Ray Spiewack spun around and smiled widely. “WALLY! PATSY!” He ran over to them, still unaware of their aroused appearances. “Long time!” He started to hug Walter, but Walter turned away to avoid it. Ray frowned and backed away, holding his hands up in defense. “Tough crowd.”

It was then that Ray noticed his friends’ strange appearances. Walter’s hair was tangled and uncombed, sticking up in various directions; Payton’s hair was frizzy and flared; both of their clothes were disheveled, their lips were raw and pink, and then there were the pillows.

It suddenly clicked. 

 “OH MY GOD, YOU TWO WERE DOING THE NASTY!” Ray’s eyes were wide as the gears in his brain churned slowly. And then it clicked again, “And I totally interrupted you guys, didn’t I?”

Walter was the first to stand, and he immediately regretted it because his erection was still visible (but less so than before!!). Before Ray was able to say something, Walter swiftly approached him and pointed towards the door. “Out. Now.”

“B-But I just got here,” Ray blinked.

“Out!” Walter was growing impatient, and he could tell Paige’s patience was wearing thin as well. “Now!”

Ray didn’t move for a second and looked up at his friend, “I might as well stay here, dude. I mean, it’s not like Polly’s gonna let you get funky with her again aft—.”

“Ray!” It was Paige’s turn to yell, but she did not move from her spot. “If you do not leave and come back later, _tomorrow_ preferably, you will _not_ be allowed to stay in the airstream mini!”

That seemed to have reached him. He sighed and muttered dejectedly, “I’ll just… I’ll just be in the gremlin… waiting….”

“Good idea,” Walter opened the door, showing him the way out.

After Walter closed the door behind Ray, he spun around and swiftly returned to Paige. “I’m am incredibly sorry that happened. It was my fault for telling him he was welcome at any time.”

Paige sighed, “Well, you know Ray. He takes _everything_ literally.”

Walter waited a beat. “So… do you want to, uh, try to continue where we left off?”

Paige pursed her lips and shrugged. “Sure,” she gave him a small smile as he sat down on the couch next to her. He enfolded her into his arms and tugged her closer to him before kissing her squarely on the mouth.

So far so good.

But as Walter’s hand returned to Paige’s breast, she moved away and sighed. “Sorry, love. I don’t think… Knowing that Ray is outside the garage, in the gremlin or even possibly standing right outside the door, waiting for us to change our minds,” she paused as they both heard a loud “CRAP! HOW DID SHE KNOW?!” from outside the door, “I’m simply not in the mood anymore.”

Walter sighed, knowing she was right. “Raincheck?”

“Oh, totally,” Paige grinned, kissing him lightly before rising to her feet. “Next time,” she turned back to wink at him, “we’ll remember to lock the door.”

Walter completely agreed. It was time he started installing locks on _all_ of the doors, especially the loft. It was no longer going to be open to anybody anytime anymore. Paige was right; they needed to set boundaries. It was then that he realized Paige was walking up the stairs towards the loft. “Hey, you going to take a shower?”

“Is that okay?” Paige stopped ascending the stairs, worried that she might have overstepped.

Walter smiled. “Of course.”

Paige’s cheeks warmed as she flashed him an appreciated grin. “I’ll be quick.”

“Take your time,” Walter replied automatically, wanting Paige to have everything she needs today, sans the sex part. He frowned, knowing he needed to have a stern talk with Ray about the new boundaries that will take place in the garage, and about keeping his trap shut about their relationship. He sighed and decided he wasn’t going to let Ray in for a while, at least until Paige is done showering.

He then looked up at her and smiled as she reached the top of the stairs. “Hey,” he called out to her.

She immediately spun around and glanced at him with wide, beautiful eyes. “Yes?”

“I love you,” he grinned ear to ear. He knew he said it a thousand times a day, but he wanted her to know, to be sure she still knew, that even though their plans were interrupted, again, his love for her was stronger. Much, _much_ stronger.

Paige beamed warmly and licked her lips as she flipped her hair back. “I love you too, Walter O’Brien.”

“Even if…,” he swallowed thickly, “even though we didn’t consummate our relationship as originally planned, we still have the entire day to ourselves… Anything… Anything you want to do?”

Paige thought for a moment. “Wanna go to the beach? We can just walk along the sand and just… spend time together.”

Walter smiled. “I’d like that.”

And as they proceeded to spend more time together, Walter locked the doors to the garage and guided his girlfriend to his car as Ray snoozed soundly inside his gremlin, long forgotten.

 

 


	3. 5 Times Walter & Paige Almost Made Love, and When They Finally Did - Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 3 The team is stuck out of town after a case and Walter and Paige have the use of a nice hotel room. A “5 Things” Fic collaboration by WeBuiltThePyramids, WriterFreak001 and FoxPhile. Cover art designed by WriterFreak001.

**Chapter Three**

**by FoxPhile**

* * *

 

Cabe walked up to where team Scorpion were gathered, sipping coffee and looking uncomfortable.  Happy sat on her duffle bag.  Despite her short stature, her knees were folded up nearly meeting her chin.  Toby sprawled beside her, his legs stretched out across the floor, his head resting on his own duffle and his hat cocked down over his eyes.  Sylvester paced back and forth, one hand planted on the side of his neck.  Walter sat cross-legged on the floor, with Paige on his lap, her own legs stretched out in an effort to maintain modesty in her short skirt. 

“Well, kiddos.  It’s official.  All small aircraft are grounded.  Only the really big jets are being allowed to take off in this storm, so that nice cushy corporate jet that was supposed to take us all back home isn’t going anywhere for at least the next twenty-four hours.  I haven’t been able to get seats on any other flights so we’re pretty well stuck here.” 

Cabe took a sip of his own coffee, allowing the chorus of groans to subside.  “The good news is that the hotel still has three rooms available.  Apparently, New York cabbies are a hardy bunch because there’s a line of them outside the airport.  Anyone who wants to should be able to get back into the city, despite the snow.”

Toby bolted awake, grabbed his bag and helped Happy to her feet.  “Well, what are we waiting for?  Luxury accommodations await!”

“Hold up a minute there, Toby.  You haven’t heard the bad news yet.”

Sly halted his pacing and walked quickly up to Cabe.  “Bad news?  I don’t like it when you say ‘Bad news’,” he said.   

Toby slowly lowered his duffle to the floor.  He reached a hand over and Happy’s met his. 

Paige got up from her seat and Walter rose as well so the two could join the group gathered around Cabe.

“The bad news is,” Cabe continued, “that neither Homeland nor the NYSE will spring for another night in a hotel.  So we can either spend the rest of the day – and probably at least one night – here at the airport, or those who want to foot the bill can go back to the hotel until the jet is cleared to leave, or we can find another way out of here.”

Toby and Happy looked at each other.  “We’re going for the hotel,” Happy announced as she and Toby grabbed their bags and proceeded to follow a sign indicating the direction to the taxi stand. 

“You might want to know that the hotel is going to run about three-fifty a night and the cab will be about fifty bucks each way!” Cabe called after them. 

The pair paused.  Turning around, Toby looked squarely at Scorpion’s founder.  “You two want to share a cab with us?” He asked. 

Walter turned to look at Paige.  He had no idea what was appropriate in this situation.  While on the case, each team member had their own room at the hotel.  Walter was nearly certain that either Happy’s or Toby’s room went unused, but he and Paige agreed before coming that sharing a room while on a case would broadcast information to the team that they were not ready to divulge.  With only three rooms available, though, unless neither Sly nor Cabe planned to use one, Paige would have to share with someone.  Given the other couple’s eagerness, that person clearly would not be Happy. 

Paige returned his look.  She glanced at their waiting teammates, then turned back to Walter.  She blinked once and gave a slight nod.  Walter sighed in relief.  She had understood his dilemma, and let him know it would be okay.  They could share a room.  Despite their so-far frustrated plans to advance their relationship to the next level, that wasn’t something they **had** to do in this situation – regardless of what everyone on the team might assume. 

When he had more time, Walter decided he needed to analyze how it was possible for Paige to communicate all of that without words.  For now, though, he grabbed his duffle and helped Paige to get back into her coat.  “Hold up you two,” he called back as he and Paige moved to follow.  “We’re going along.  I have no desire to spend the night on a cold airport floor.”

“Not when you can spend it in the warm arms of a certain liaison!” Toby muttered. 

“Inappropriate, Doc,” Happy hissed. 

Toby doubled over.  “Oh, my spleen!”

“What?  I didn’t touch you!”  Happy stared at him, then slapped the hat off his head.

“Force of habit,” Toby retorted as he bent over to retrieve his hat.  “I know you’ve promised not to hit me anymore, and I appreciate that you’ve kept that promise.  But sometimes I still feel the impact of your love taps, psychosomatically.”

“Paige!” Cabe called.  “You need any help getting someone to look after Ralph?”

“No, but thanks, Cabe,” Paige turned to answer.  “Ralph is staying with a friend from school.  I’ll call the parents from the cab, but I’m sure they’ll be okay keeping him an extra day.”

“Okay.  Let me know if you run into any snags.”

Paige nodded, then turned back to catch up. 

Cabe watched the foursome leave and turned to Sly.  “So what do you say, Sly?  Would you rather stay on a cold, hard, _dirty_ airport floor or share a room with yours truly?”

“I am _not_ a fan of shared living accommodations,” Sly responded, looking around him at the scuffed flooring and bits of litter.  “But in this instance I will make an exception.”

“Good,” Cabe said, hefting his own bag over his shoulder.  “We can split the cost of the room and the cab.  If you promise not to snore, I’ll even spring for a pizza for dinner.” 

“I snore because I have a nasal condition.  It’s not something I can control.”

Cabe grinned.  “Then we’ll get some extra pillows.  If you sleep with your head raised, it might help.  If not, I’ll just put the pillows over your face.”

Sly scrutinized Cabe’s face as the two made their own way to the taxi stands.  Cabe merely smiled.  It was impossible to tell sometimes whether he was joking or deadly serious. 

* * *

 

“I’m… sorry that this situation has um… led to Toby… and um… possibly the others drawing assumptions about our relationship.”

Paige looked up from where she was unpacking the few things she would need for their overnight stay.  It didn’t take a genius to realize that the big King-sized bed was making Walter nervous.  Despite their intention to begin a physical relationship, she wondered if their previous unsuccessful attempts were causing him increased anxiety.   She knew that frustration and failure were things that disrupted Walter’s usually logical thought processes and could cause him to regress.  He was mortified when Ray caught them in the early stages of foreplay.  Between the case with the New York Stock Exchange and other distractions, they hadn’t really discussed the incident since then.  It was entirely possible that Walter had changed his mind – that he needed more time. 

“Walter,” she sat on the side of the bed, setting aside the blouse and skirt she wanted to hang up so she could wear them the next day.  She made sure there was room for him to sit beside her if he wanted to.  “The rest of the team know we’ve been dating – that we’re together – for weeks now.  Whatever assumptions they want to draw about that, trust me, they drew them a long time ago.  They don’t need to know we spent the night together in a hotel room to think that we’re having sex.  But what they think doesn’t dictate what we do, either.” 

“I realize that,” Walter said as he slowly sat down.  “I thought perhaps it would be less… distressing… to deal with if we… if we know the assumption isn’t true… at least not yet.”

“If you’re embarrassed or… are having second thoughts…”

“What?  Me?  No!”  Walter reached out and took Paige’s hand.  “I… I’m making… that is I thought perhaps you might find it awkward…”  Walter took a deep breath.  “Paige I… I still want very much to make love with you.  I just don’t want it to be something either of us has… any regrets about.  So if you feel that it will be more embarrassing to face the rest of the team tomorrow if we actually… then I’m okay with waiting for a more suitable… and private… opportunity.”

Paige laughed.  “Oh Walter.  Seriously?  I’ll happily face a bit of embarrassment if I can have the memory of our first time in a beautiful room like this one.  I mean, your loft is nice, and I’d be happy to make love with you just about anywhere.  But we have an opportunity here to make it really memorable.  I don’t think we should let anything interfere with that, as long as we’re both ready.”

“We’re agreed, then.”  He leaned over and kissed her, lingering to deepen the kiss.  It had been awhile since they last shared any intimacy at all, and he found he was hungry for it. 

“I just…” Paige drew back.

“What?” Walter asked, confused.  “Are you hungry?  Do you want to get something to eat first?  I know how much you’ve enjoyed the um… authentic New York fare…”

Paige chuckled and stood up from the bed, drawing Walter with her.  “I’m not hungry, but I think that once we get into this big bed together,” she winked, then went on, “we probably won’t be leaving until morning.”

Walter nodded, anticipating that the comfortable room, and the guarantee of relative privacy for several hours would lead to prolonged intimacies.

“If you don’t mind,” Paige continued, “this is my first time in New York, but we’ve been busy with the case every day, all day.  I haven’t had a chance to see anything that we haven’t passed by in a car.  I know it’s snowing outside, but there are plenty of things to see that are really close to the hotel, so I’d like to see if maybe we could… see some of them.”

“Oh… oh… all right,” Walter agreed.  “We’re at the Waldorf-Astoria.  Just a few blocks from here is Rockefeller Center.  On the way we can pass by St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which, although I don’t ascribe to the religious significance, is still an outstanding example of American Gothic Revival architecture which you might enjoy.  Then… of course… Fifth Avenue is famous for its um… shopping opportunities.”

“Shopportunities?” Paige interrupted, giggling. 

Walter paused in his litany of local attractions, then grinned.  “Yes, I suppose so.  Very witty.”

“I don’t need an itinerary, Walter.  Let’s just go out and walk around.  I’m a California girl.  I’ve hardly ever seen snow.  Just walking in the snow will be fun for me!”

* * *

 

“Wow, Walter!  I had no idea you knew how to do this.”  Paige gripped tightly to Walter’s shoulders; his hands were on her waist.  Her entire body was tense, but she knew she could trust him.  “And you’re so GOOD at it.  You never cease to amaze me!”

“I know that you probably think of me more in terms of the capacity of my brain, but I do have some physical prowess as well, you know.”  Walter grinned as he continued to guide their movements. 

“Yes, but – ice skating?  That’s probably the last sport I would think of you knowing, Walter.  How did you learn?”

Walter glided effortlessly backwards as he guided Paige through a slow spin.  “It was, actually, one of the few things my father and I were able to enjoy together.  Ice skating isn’t popular in Ireland and there are few rinks, but dad spent some time in Canada as a boy and learned to love it.  So a few times a year, he packed up the family and we all drove to the nearest rink.  I found I could make geometric shapes with my skates in the ice, working out theorems.  So it was fun for me where most other sports weren’t.”

Paige shook her head, which temporarily threw off her balance.  Walter helped steady her, then skated around to her side, taking one hand in his and wrapping the other arm around the back of her waist.  “Try to sync your movements with mine.  When I push off with my left, you push off with the same foot.  We’ll go slow.”  They continued around the rink, and before long they were gliding together in a slow, weaving pattern.  Paige gripped Walter a bit tighter, then carefully laid her head on his shoulder.  Dusk had fallen and the rink was aglow with lights.  Snow had been falling all day and the flakes drifting past the lighted trees glittered like fairy dust.  Paige knew that from now on, anytime she saw Rockefeller Center on the television, she would remember this moment. 

“You know,” she mused, “I’ve never really seen snow.  I’ve been skiing on snow that’s already on the ground, but I’ve never actually seen it fall before.  It’s really beautiful.”

“I… I supposed it is, although the last time I saw snow Happy almost died."

“Oh.  Right.  I didn't go on that one."

“It was… I learned a lot on that trip.  Some things I continued to… resist… for some time.”  Walter cleared his throat.  “We should probably think about getting something to eat and getting back to the hotel,” he suggested.

“I am getting hungry,” Paige admitted.  “I’m also freezing,” she said, shivering.  “This jacket was not made for a New York winter!”

Walter chuckled and began steering them towards the exit.  “Well then, we should find a place to have dinner and then get back to the hotel.”  As they made their way to the benches where they could remove their skates, he wrapped his arms around her, rubbing his hands up and down her arms.  “Then I can help to warm you up,” he whispered into her ear. 

They sat down on the bench and Paige leaned over to whisper, “Why Walter!  Did you just treat me to a suggestive innuendo?”

Walter dropped the skate he’d just removed and turned to look at her, confused.  “Not that I’m aware of.”

Paige shook her head, rolled her eyes, and began working on her own skates. 

* * *

 

Paige couldn’t help but wish she’d brought a sexy nightgown as she buttoned up her pajama top.  They were nice pajamas.  The silky material clung to her curves and the loose pants flowed as she walked.  But they were still pajamas.  They covered more of her than her usual business attire did.  She undid the top button to expose a little more cleavage.  Would it be too daring to walk out with the top completely unbuttoned?  She decided it probably would.  She still wasn’t sure exactly where Walter’s comfort zone was.  It was probably best not to be too flirty. 

It was a little odd that Walter insisted she change into her night clothes in the bathroom, while he changed in the room.  Considering they would soon be taking everything off, it seemed counter to Walter’s usual need for efficiency.  Not that she wanted efficiency to be his top priority right now!  She laughed quietly as she wondered just what constituted “efficient” sex.  With luck, she would never find out.  She preferred lazy, drawn-out, inefficient but very satisfying sex. 

Her first surprise when they returned to the room was the chilled bottle of champagne waiting for them next to the rose-petal strewn bed.   At first she thought it was a mistake until Walter blushingly refused to take any credit and admitted he’d called the hotel from the restaurant and simply asked the concierge what she could suggest to make the room more romantic.   Somehow the genius didn’t realize that the very fact that he bothered to call was romantic in itself.

Paige looked at herself in the mirror.  She was stalling, and couldn’t quite understand why.  She could easily put it down to making sure she gave Walter plenty of time, but the reality was, she was nervous herself.  She knew that Walter’s past experiences had been uncomfortable and downright unpleasant for him.  Despite his assurances, how could she know this would be any different?  She had some experience with feeling pressured into sex through expectations or obligation.  She certainly didn’t want anything like that to taint their relationship. 

“Come on, Dineen,” she whispered to the mirror.  “This is one of those times that you just have to trust that he’s telling you the truth about how he feels.  You want it.  He wants it.  Now stop stalling, get out there and get on with it!”

She threw open the door and walked out into the room.  On impulse, she stopped and executed a little twirl.  “It’s not the sexiest thing I own, but I wasn’t planning…”  She stopped.  “Walter, are you okay?”

Walter was sitting on one side of the enormous bed, propped up against the headboard, clutching one of the large, fluffy, white pillows to his chest.  Paige couldn’t tell if he was wearing anything behind the pillow.  The covers were drawn up around his waist.  The rose petals, which had been arranged in a heart shape, had been disturbed on his side of the bed and now resembled a broken heart.  Paige’s breath caught in her throat. 

“You look… lovely,” Walter replied.  “I um… I’m fine.  I wasn’t um… prepared… sartorially speaking that is… for this either.  But um… if you would care to join me?”  Walter patted the bed next to him.

“Walter…” Paige moved closer to the bed, but stopped at the corner.  “Walter, I really don’t want you to feel like you have to do this.  If you want to wait awhile…”

“Paige, please,” Walter patted the bed again.  “I am nervous, but I am also ready.  Believe me, Paige, I am very, very ready.”  Walter clutched the pillow a bit tighter.  “If I were any more ready, we’d be done already.” 

Walter attempted a smile, and Paige grinned.  “More humor.  I like it,” she quipped. 

“I’m not entirely sure that I was joking.  It will be all right, Paige.  That is… unless you’re having second thoughts?”

“What? No!” Paige climbed on the bed.  “It’s just… it’s just that, hiding behind that pillow you look a little bit like a medieval virgin bride sitting here waiting for the wedding night revels.  Are you… are you shy, Walter?”

Paige shuffled her feet under the covers and scooted closer to Walter. 

 “I um… yes… I think I am.  I’ve always been uncomfortable with… nudity.  I know men are supposed to be able to appear – even in public – without a shirt.  But it’s always made me… I just don’t like it.  I don’t know why.  I’m just… somewhat self-conscious about my… chest.  Please don’t think it is any reflection on my feelings for you.” 

“Well, you know…” Paige started to stroke Walter’s arm, and kissed his shoulder.  The skin there was warm, and she kissed him again.  “It’s going to be pretty difficult for us to… you know… if you keep holding that pillow.  If you’re that uncomfortable, maybe you can put on a t-shirt.  I promise to keep my eyes closed while you find one.  Or we could turn out the lights.”

“I… no.  I’m sure I’ll… adjust.  We can hardly spend our lives making love with our clothes on.  And I very much want to see you when we…”

Paige started to laugh until Walter turned to meet her lips with his own.  She felt his arm glide across her waist, underneath her top, his fingers stroking the skin of her back.  The pillow was now wedged between them, but it seemed to have slipped a notch.

Walter pulled back.  “I suppose that’s a bit unfair of me.  I want to see you, but I won’t let you see me.  I will work on it.  In the meantime, you should keep your top on as well.”

Paige decided to try another approach.  “Walter, would it be all right if I touch your… your chest?  I can slide my hand under the pillow.”  She was dying to stroke her fingers through his light hairs and tease his nipples.  He said he was self-conscious about her seeing his chest, but maybe he would be okay about her touching it?  It was one of her favorite things to do in bed to get a man worked up, and if that was off-limits, she was going to have to exercise all her self-control to avoid it. 

“I suppose that would be all right.”

Paige slowly moved a hand up under the pillow.  She fingered the short hairs she found, then leaned up to kiss his chin.  Taking the hint, Walter tucked his head so that she could reach his mouth with hers.  After a moment, she continued to slide her hand up his chest until she found the pebbly skin that surrounded his nipple.  She stroked gently.  The nipple quickly tightened into a taut nub, and Walter moaned in her mouth. 

Walter moved his hand towards her front.  Paige thought for sure that he would soon be returning the favor, except suddenly, his hand was gone.  Then just as suddenly, the pillow was gone and Paige heard it crash into something.  She hoped whatever it was wasn’t breakable. 

She felt his hand return and find its way up underneath her pajama top.  She moaned a little herself in sheer anticipation.  Before long he was stroking the side of one breast and circling her nipple with his thumb.  She was about to pop the buttons on her top when a rattling noise came from the pile of things she’d dropped on the dresser. 

“Oh crap!” She exclaimed.  “It’s my phone.  I really should get it. It might be Ralph.”

Walter lay back and opened his arms so that she could get up.  She could swear she heard a small groan. 

“Don’t worry,” she said, smiling back at him.  “I’m sure it’s just Ralph calling to say good night.  We’ll have all night, after I talk to him.”

She scrambled up and grabbed the phone, quickly swiping to answer the call. 

“Oh… oh hi, Cabe.  I wasn’t… expecting to hear from you tonight.”  Paige listened, her heart slowly sinking.  She glanced back once at Walter, then turned back quickly, afraid he would instantly read the distress on her face.  This was the third time!  It should have been the charm, right? 

“Okay, yes he’s here.  Yes, we will.  In twenty minutes.  We’ll be there.  Thanks, Cabe.”

She slowly set the phone back down and turned.  Walter was sitting back up in bed.  He was holding another pillow, but it wasn’t hiding his chest.  He looked like he wanted to punch it.

“Cabe cannot possibly have a case for us!” He exclaimed.

“No,” she sighed.  “Not a case – a plane.  He’s found seats for all of us on a commercial flight back to LA.  Apparently he had us on a waiting list and some large party just cancelled their trip because of the weather.  He wants us all to meet him downstairs in twenty minutes.  He’s got a van to take us to the airport.  We gotta get packed and dressed.” 

Paige sighed and moved over to the closet.  Not thinking, she quickly stripped off the pajamas and grabbed the bra and panties she’d hung there where they’d be easy to find in the morning.  She heard a quickly in-drawn breath and suddenly remembered Walter.  She grabbed the top and held it over her chest while she turned.  “Oh gosh, Walter.  I’m so sorry.  I’ll… I’ll go into the bathroom.”

“No!” He shouted.  “No.  I think I better use the bathroom this time.  I’m going to take a very, very quick shower.”

Paige turned, keeping her barely covered front facing Walter as he got up and grabbed his own clothes and made his way to the bathroom.  “I’ll be dressed and ready to go as soon as you finish,” she assured him. 

Why hadn’t she turned her damn phone off?  She berated herself once Walter was safely behind a closed door and she could finish getting dressed.  It was going to be a bit icky spending all night on a plane without taking a shower, but she didn’t think Walter’s need to shower was solely due to a desire for cleanliness, so she couldn’t begrudge him. 

Within moments, she was dressed and had thrown her things into her suitcase.  She rummaged around the room and gathered the few things that Walter left out onto the bed, so that he could easily put them back in his bag.  She was about to sit down on the bed to wait when she spied the scattered rose petals.  She scooped up a handful, then turned, looking for Walter’s duffle bag.  Sprinting over to where it sat on the floor, she unzipped it quietly.  Lifting up a pile of clothing, she dropped the petals into the bottom of the bag.  Then she went back, grabbed another pile and tucked them into a side pocket of her own bag.  It was silly, and it made her blush, but despite the frustrating ending, this day had been one of the most romantic of her life and she wanted a keepsake.   She returned to the bed and sat down to wait. 

Walter exited the bathroom, his hair dripping onto the back of the fresh shirt he was wearing.  To Paige’s astonishment, the shirt was unbuttoned.  He walked up to her, and sat down next to her on the bed, taking her hand.

“Paige, I know this evening didn’t turn out quite like we hoped, and we’re both… we’re both disappointed.  But I want you to know that… as much as I want this… as much as I want… physical… intimacy… with you… what I want even more I already have.  I love you Paige.  Knowing that I can say that to you… and know what it means… that, to me, is the best thing.”

Before Paige could think of a response Walter leaned over and kissed her, then got up and buttoned his shirt.  He scooped up his clothes and tucked them into his bag, then fished his phone out of a side pocket and turned it on.

Paige stood to gather her own things, grabbing a bottle of complementary water.  “Walter, I’m so sorry.  I probably should have turned my phone off, too.”

“No, Paige.  You were right to leave it on.  You have Ralph to think of and his welfare is too important to neglect… for any reason.  Besides, if Cabe hadn’t been able to get either of us on the phone, he might have come knocking on the door.”  He smiled sheepishly to convey just how embarrassing that would have been. 

As they walked down the hall towards the elevator, Walter pulled his phone out of his pocket. 

“Message from Cabe?” Paige asked, and took a sip of her water. 

“No…. no it’s a text… from Toby.  But I’m not sure what it means.  It’s composed of just three… icons.”

“Oh?  What icons?”

“It’s a peach, a smiley face with its mouth wide open and an… eggplant.”

Paige sputtered violently, spraying water down the hall.

* * *

 


	4. 5 Times Walter & Paige Almost Made Love, and When They Finally Did - Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 4. For his hard work and dedication during another collaboration with Richard Elia, the tech mogul rewarded Walter (and a plus one) with a luxury vacation at his beach house, paid in full. Walter invites Paige, and they are – once again - determined to try to consummate their relationship. Besides, what could really go wrong in New Zealand?

**Chapter Four**

**by WriterFreak001**

* * *

 

“Wow,” Paige exhaled against the car’s window pane as they were privately escorted to Richard Elia’s strikingly beautiful and exquisite manor, and though she was specifically instructed not to place her hands upon the interior glass of the limo, she couldn’t help it! Not even the gala from a few years ago was _this_ grand. “Are you sure this is the right address?” She couldn’t help herself; opportunities to spend a weekend in a manor _this_ beautiful with her boyfriend were almost too good to be true, but here they were, in New Zealand, pulling up to the driveway of the tech mogul’s second (or third or fourth, she wasn’t sure) residence.

The driver, _of course_ , chuckled at her skepticism, but he didn’t comment on it, and she didn’t question his silence. _Obviously_ , she knew the castle-like manor in front of her was Richard Elia’s vacation home. That was a no-brainer. Before she and Walter left Los Angeles, she had googled the address and easily found a picture of the mansion, but for some reason, the white estate appeared much, _much_ larger in person.

Though she could only see most of the front and the side of the manor as they turned into the driveway, she spotted a built-in small gazebo towards the back of the home and a wrap-around verandah encircling the entire perimeter. Absolutely breathtaking. There was a brick staircase on each side of the front patio gracing the entryway, and underneath the trefoil archway stretching over the center of the terrace, was a deep red door, accenting the home’s white exterior.

Though absolutely glorious, this vacation home – even for a few days – was far too big for two people. What in the world was Richard Elia thinking? In spite of his overly generous reward to Walter, once she was home, she was definitely going to send a massive Thank You note to the man who made all of this possible.

As Paige flattened her nose against the window, Walter moved behind her and hovered over her shoulder, equally impressed from the size and structure of the villa. Without looking away from the scenery passing in front of her, she mumbled absentmindedly, “You know how I was initially against accepting this reward from Richard Elia?”

“Mhmm,” came Walter’s only reply.

“Opinion totally rescinded,” Paige muttered as the hotness of her breath heated the cool glass. “Feel free to accept Richard Elia’s generosity any time you want,” she then turned towards her boyfriend and smirked, “except for working for him, of course.”

Walter grinned, his hands rubbing her shoulders softly. “I wouldn’t dream working anywhere other than Scorpion. _Especially_ since it’s technically _our_ business now.”

“In name, only,” Paige rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she laughed. She swiveled her hips around and leaned towards him, wrapping her arms around the genius’s torso. “I know what you mean, though,” she pressed a kiss to his shoulder, “but it’s still _your_ company, Walter.”

“Maybe for now,” Walter shrugged, sliding an arm over her shoulders. “But I’ve been thinking… Perhaps it’s time to expand your role on the team even more.”

Paige cocked an eyebrow and snapped her eyes towards him. “In what way?”

“Well, you already manage the business side of Scorpion, and you also manage the projects, but maybe it’s time for you to actually co-own the company as well. As co-owners, both of us would still carry on our usual duties in the company, but on top of that, I wouldn’t be the only owner of the team; you would be, too. Meaning, any changes to the company, any updates in the garage, any cases we take on, must be approved by both of us instead of just me.” He paused to scratch a spot above his neck. “I recently realized I have a tendency to accept cases on the fly without evaluating the risks involved. I think it’s time we start reconsidering the risk level for some of the cases Scorpion tends to take….” Walter shifted a little bit and then gave his girlfriend a small smile. “What do you think?”

“That might not be such a bad idea,” Paige commented quietly, pressing a soft kiss to his neck. “There’s a lot more at stake in Scorpion this year than there was two years ago. Especially with Toby and Happy getting married in a few weeks.”

“Precisely,” Walter agreed with a small nod.

 “Can I… think about it?” Paige pinned her bottom lip between her teeth and exhaled softly, “The promotion, I mean.”

“Of course.” Walter grinned as he pressed his lips against her temple, “Take as long as you need, love. There’s no rush.” A few seconds of silence passed between them before he added, “If you decide to become a co-owner of Scorpion, we can discuss the financial benefits then.”

“Okay,” Paige nodded slowly. “You don’t think the others would oppose, do you?” Because if any one of them did, then all bets were off. There was no need to cause any more drama on the team - especially since she was involved.

“No,” the genius let out an amused chuckle, “I think they would be _glad_ if I wasn’t the one always making the decisions.”

That reply made Paige let out a soft giggle, knowing her boyfriend was more than likely right (as he mostly always was) because Toby and Happy were almost always complaining about Walter’s reckless (but usually successful) decision methods. Having a second opinion on Scorpion’s casework would greatly benefit the team’s quality of life, but was Paige really the right person for it? She wasn’t a genius. She wouldn’t be able to make “logical” decisions like the others. All of her opinions – well, most of them, at least – would be based more on her intuition and her emotions rather than logic so… would her opinion even matter?

Somehow, she doubted it.

Changing the subject, Paige allowed her wicked (and rare) promiscuous self to momentarily overtake her thoughts, prompting her to twist around and climb into Walter’s lap, her fingers immediately diving into his curls. For moments like this, she was glad she decided to wear a mid-thigh length summer dress today, allowing her to easily and comfortably grind him slowly.

 Pleasantly surprised, Walter’s hands automatically encircled her, grasping her bottom underneath her dress and lifting her up a little to bring her even closer. God, his hands felt so damn good resting on her ass that she wished she wasn’t wearing anything underneath. Lightly, she wiggled her hips side to side and moved in to kiss him as he groaned quietly. “Can we…,” she then whispered, “experiment something while we’re staying here?”

Walter’s lips curved to a small smile. “I _do_ like experiments,” his fingers gently gripped her gluts tighter, and she purred softly. “What did you have in mind?”

She pressed a sweet kiss to his lips and uttered, “For the next 72 hours, I _only_ want us to focus on _us_. This generous vacation literally landed in our laps, and I don’t know about you,” she let out a soft, breathy laugh as she kissed the cleft of his chin, “but,” she moved to the sensitive spot underneath his ear and caressed the smooth skin lightly with her tongue before nipping at his earlobe (something she discovered, very recently, that he enjoyed very much), “I don’t want to talk about Scorpion or casework or my son for the next three days. Just you and me. Nothing else.”

Walter barely emitted a reply as his eyes rolled upwards in response to her mouth lightly sucking on his earlobe, and she smirked. “Deal?”

“Uh-huh,” was all he could manage as she leaned in to seal their agreement with a kiss, but before she could claim his lips, the vehicle jerked to an immediate stop, smacking their foreheads together.

Both Walter and Paige doubled over in opposite directions, coddling their sore noggins when the driver popped the passenger side door open, encouraging them to exit the vehicle. Paige, still groaning, climbed off of her boyfriend and crawled out of the limo first. Walter followed, and they took a moment to compose themselves before moving to do anything more.

“Your belongings,” the driver – a tall, elderly man with greying hair and a local accent – spoke quietly, “were loaded onto a separate vehicle and were delivered to the master bedroom about an hour ago upon Mr. Elia’s request. Because the two of you, according to Mr. Elia, have not been to our wonderful country before, I was instructed to take a longer, more scenic route so you could enjoy some unsolicited sightseeing on your way to Mr. Elia’s summer manor.”

Paige frowned and glanced at Walter. “I thought Richard Elia said we would have the home to ourselves for the next three days. Did something change?”

As the genius shrugged in response, the driver chuckled softly. “No, nothing has changed. Mr. Elia instructed us not to disturb you during your stay; that is why your belongings were delivered separately. We wanted to ensure you that the manor will be empty when you step inside.”

He waited a beat as Walter and Paige nodded slowly. “If you should need any one of us for anything, we all live within a mile from this home in tenant houses Mr. Elia had purchased for us, and there’s a phone in every room with my emergency contact information next to it. My name is Lewis. Call me for anything you might need, and I will dispatch your message to the appropriate recipient.”

Lewis then flashed a slight smirk as he glanced from Walter to Paige and then back to Walter. “I anticipated that you would want to have the most privacy you could receive this weekend so I have placed a binder with detailed instructions in the master suite for every household appliance you would like to use during your vacation such as the TV or the stove or the Jacuzzi.”

Good to know, I guess,” Paige mumbled, nodding absentmindedly. “Are we free to go, then?”

“Of course,” Lewis nodded with a thin smile as he dug his hand into his pocket and extended his palm towards Walter. “Here’s the keycard. We usually use biometrics to enter the building, but since Mr. Elia doesn’t have your DNA encoded into the system, the keycard will be a nice, less painful substitute.” He waited for Walter to take the keycard from him before giving them some extra advice. “As long as the keycard is within the property of the land, it can be relocated if lost. If you lose it outside of the property, be sure to call me to bring you a spare.”

Lewis gave Walter and Paige a small bow without another word and then circled around the limousine before sliding into the driver’s seat. In seconds, the elderly man ignited the engine and sped the vehicle away, leaving Walter and Paige alone in front of the manor.

“Come on,” Paige grabbed Walter’s hand after he safely tucked the card into his zipper pocket and dragged him across the paved path towards the left outer staircase leading to the front patio. “Wanna explore the grounds a little bit before going inside?”

“Sure,” Walter nodded, tightening his grip around her palm. “But…,” his words faded as his face flushed deeply. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Don’t you want to… _you know_ …,” he glanced up to a random window on the third floor and then gestured towards their lower stomachs, “f-first?”

Paige, amused, lifted an eyebrow and smirked a little. “Would you be okay with that?”

“Yes!” he exclaimed perhaps a little too loudly before lowering his voice with a quiet cough. “I mean… if that’s what you want?”

“It is,” Paige grinned as she started tugging him towards the entrance of the home instead. “To be honest,” she confessed, “the only reason I suggested a tour in the first place was because – due to our recent failed attempts to consummate our relationship – I didn’t want you to think I only came to New Zealand for the sex. I mean, yes, the sex is definitely an influencing factor, but I also want to spend time with you too while we’re here as well. Maybe afterwards, we could see about touring the grounds and then having dinner at a local restaurant?”

Walter’s eyes lit up, and he smiled softly. “I’d like that.”

* * *

They were stumbling down the hall as soon as they were up the stairs with hands grasping at each other wherever they could and mouths fusing and entangling together as if they were each other’s last breath of life. Paige’s fingers clutched and crimped and threaded through Walter’s thick curls as his hands had found the hem of her summer dress, and with one eager tug, the dress was flown off of her body and tossed several feet away from them.

Walter didn’t even notice she was wearing her bright red bikini suit as his mouth claimed her lips again. Blindly, her left hand searched for the doorknob of the room behind her and as she twisted it to its left, the door swung open behind them. They haphazardly fumbled into the room towards the bed before Walter wrapped his hands around her waist and hoisted her onto the corner of the bed. He stepped backwards to finally look at her. “You wore a swimsuit under your dress?”

Paige smirked as he navigated towards her again, his feet planting themselves between her dangling feet. “I was being efficient,” she shrugged, giggling softly. “You never know when you’re going to go swimming while on vacation.”

“I guess that’s true,” the genius agreed with a grin, admiring her for her efficiency.

As Paige leaned forward to thread her fingers into his curls again, Walter rolled his eyes closed and then released a low growl as Paige tipped his head back and kissed him fully. Her tongue caressed and stroked his slowly as she fluttered her fingers down from his hair to the hem of his shirt before briefly breaking the kiss to lift the material over his head. After dropping it carelessly to the floor, Paige scooted backwards onto the bed, and Walter naturally followed, climbing and crawling until he was crushed against her body and kissing her deeply.

God, he loved her lips when she was kissing him. They were so pink, so plump; soft yet fierce and tender all at the same time. Over the past three months, he had memorized the many different ways Paige would kiss him, and when it really mattered, when she really needed him to hold her and kiss her and keep her safe – they had a way of speaking to him when words would fail her.

They often trembled against his whenever she was upset, when something was bothering her, or if she was scared, and of all of the kisses she could give him, he always hoped they wouldn’t quiver. Because when they did, more often times than not, he was limited at what he could do to make things better. When she was happy, her kisses were more passionate and spontaneous, and she usually giggled a lot.

But if Walter had to pick a favorite, he would always choose moments like right now, when nothing, absolutely nothing, was holding either of them back. The deep ones – the ones that were slow and drawn out, the ones where he could explore her mouth shamelessly and completely, and the ones where he could feel her love for him emanating from her lips – would always be his favorite because he loved loving her and _feeling_ her love in return.

Paige broke away from Walter’s lips and let out a tiny laugh, but Walter continued kissing her, moving his mouth delicately along her throat towards the base of her neck. Her fingers threaded into his hair again, and she scratched his scalp lightly as she stretched her neck, moaning softly when his lips and his tongue began pleasantly assaulting her most sensitive spot on her throat. “That feels _really_ nice.”

“Uh-huh,” the genius agreed while awkwardly lifting his lower half off of Paige to unbuckle his belt and remove his slacks. As he brought his mouth back to hers, he slid his left hand between them and tried to finish his task, but his fingers fumbled with his buckle as if they didn’t know what he wanted to accomplish.

Great. Just great.

“Paige,” Walter reluctantly stopped kissing the woman underneath him and exhaled soft pants against her cheek. “ _Paiiiige_.”

“Hm?” The woman was now kissing the erogenous area under his ear, and he had already almost forgotten why he was calling out her name.

“I need,” _God, this is embarrassing_ , “I need you to stop kissing me so I can take off my pants. I can’t… I can’t think… let alone function… when we’re like this….”

Paige immediately withdrew her hands from his hair and smiled softly; he could tell she was trying her hardest not to laugh. “You want me to help?”

“Could you?” he replied almost too quickly, causing his girlfriend to giggle again. “I mean,” he coughed to downplay his desperation, “I-If that’s okay with you….”

She cocked an eyebrow. “But are _you_ okay with it?”

He nodded his head swiftly, and she grinned.

“Okay,” Paige, with surprising strength, used her hips to roll them over until he was lying underneath her. “It’ll be easier this way.” Wanting to make this experience as sexy as possible for him, Paige started out by kissing him fully on the mouth, and then slowly, ever so slowly, she began to crawl backwards. Her lips trailed a path of kisses down his neck to the center of his collarbone as her fingers skimmered lightly over his chest. Her thumbs smoothed over his nipples, causing the genius to grunt lowly. She smiled wickedly, loving the effect she was having over him.

She feathered kisses down the center of his chest, and as she moved lower, her palms glided down the sides of his stomach before finding his belt buckle. Slowly and with such focus, she took her time unbuckling his belt, and as she slid it from its loops, her boyfriend let out another groan.

“All right,” she couldn’t help but laugh a little, “I think I’ve tortured you enough.” Not wasting any more time to take off Walter’s pants, Paige unfastened his jeans with ease before shucking them off of his hips and sliding them down his legs until they were low enough to kick off.

After she crawled back up to him, she took his face into her hands and playfully apologized for tantalizing him, and, as payback, Walter rolled them back over and claimed her mouth with his, kissing her until they were breathless. His tongue tangled with hers, battling for dominance, and she shamelessly forfeited, letting Walter play his little revenge game for a little while longer.

Walter fluttered wet kisses down the center of her body just as she had done to him and moved his palms to her breasts before squeezing them gently. He could feel her nipples harden underneath her bikini top, and as he circled his thumbs over them slowly, she clenched the bedsheets and emitted a soft sound he had never heard from her before but definitely wanted to hear again.

With his palms still massaging her breasts, Walter moved back up towards Paige so he could kiss her, already missing the feel of her lips against his. Her legs wrapped around his hips, and he mindlessly grinded her in response, swallowing that same tiny sound she had just made a minute ago. Already forgetting about his playful revenge, Walter groaned into her mouth when her fingers found his hair again. She could crimp and twist his hair for hours, for all he cared.

Paige propped herself onto her elbows without moving her lips away from his and untied the back of her bikini, and even with his currently cloudy and mushy brain, he understood what she wanted. He pulled his mouth away from hers to give her a little bit of more room and watched everything she was doing with fascination. The thin, stretchy material popped off of her breasts, revealing them for a split second, but because she hadn’t untied the string from around her neck yet, her bikini top flopped back down in disarray, giving the genius a glimpse of her creamy chest.

Walter cautiously rolled the bikini top upwards and took a moment to marvel at her beautiful, perky breasts. “Is…,” he flicked his eyes towards hers as he lightly covered her pink nipples with his palms, “Is this okay?”

She bit her lip and nodded, the sensitivity of her breasts sending tiny shocks of electricity straight down to her core. “God, yes.” As his hands gently kneaded her breasts, Walter caught her light moan with his mouth as he kissed her again, needing to reestablish contact with her lips before moving downward. He pressed his lips against the top of her left breast above her heart, and then looked up at her. “What about this?”

She nodded swiftly, unable to speak as his thumbs strummed over her nipples slowly before pushing them inward. Her eyes rolled upward in bliss as he then took her sensitive nipple into his mouth, before lowering his hand towards the front of her bottom bikini. He did not move lower than her bellybutton, wanting to direct the majority of his attention to her breasts. And hot damn.

Paige writhed underneath him as he continued licking and sucking and squeezing her nipples, and if he didn’t move that hand between her legs like she thought he was going to do, she was going to lose her goddamn mind! “Walter,” she whimpered, “ _Please_.”

She slithered her left hand down to meet his and threaded their fingers together before sliding his hand lower and dipping their entwined fingers beneath her bikini bottoms. “ _Please_ ,” she emphasized a little louder.

Walter’s lips popped off of her nipple, and sure enough, he was kissing her again. Paige wrapped both arms around his neck, and he slowly stroked one finger along her wet folds, paying careful attention to how sensitive she was. When his middle finger glided over her clitoris, Paige whimpered and bit her bottom lip as she flared her nostrils in response to his ministration.

Paige’s legs widened a little bit more, and in response, Walter softly pressed the pad of his thumb over her clit, causing her to let out a much louder, pleasurable sigh…, until it was drowned out by a sudden shrilling siren echoing from all around them.

Both froze with alarm. “Is that… is that a drill?”

“I don’t know,” Walter frowned as he carefully moved away from her before turning to reach for the remote with his other hand. Then, he rolled over onto his back next to Paige and turned on the TV before flipping to the local news channel. Immediately, they read the news ticker scroll.

 

> **THIS IS NOT A DRILL. TSUNAMI HAS BEEN DETECTED AND IS MAKING ITS WAY TO THE NORTH ISLAND ON THE NORTH EASTERN COAST. RETREAT TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY. TSUNAMI IS PREDICTED TO HIT THE COAST APPROX. 5 PM. HEIGHT PREDICTION IS STILL UNDETERMINED. TSUNAMI WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. THIS IS NOT A DRILL…**

“Oh my God,” Paige gasped quietly and turned to Walter with panic-stricken eyes. “A-Are we safe?”

“Yes, the manor is on high ground. I had done some prior research of the area before we left Los Angeles, and there’s a beach nearby, but it’s at least a few miles away. This summer home sits on a cliff at least a couple hundred feet overlooking the ocean. We should be fine.”

“But other people won’t be,” Paige replied as she scooted off of the bed before fastening her bikini top. “Come on,” she bent down and picked up Walter’s shirt before tossing it to him. “There might be people who need our help. While I go up to the master bedroom and find something more appropriate to wear, call Lewis and tell him to prepare the staff to open up the manor to the locals. Then we’ll go to the part of town closest to the beach and instruct them to head this way…. We’ll stay behind and help anybody who is immobile.”

Walter grinned as he threw his shirt over his head before sliding into his jeans. “You’re amazing you know that?”

Paige giggled as she made her way to the door and then turned around, winking at him. “I’m also amazing in bed, too.”

Walter chuckled as he pulled out his phone. “I hope to someday find out.”

* * *

It had been almost a full day before locals were advised to return to their homes and inspect any possible damage the tsunami might have inflicted. The impact would have been a lot worse if it wasn’t for the coral reef a few nautical miles away from the shore. Much of the suspected tsunami’s force had dissipated as it moved across the reef, and as the remaining wave smacked against the New Zealand coast, the rushing water did not do as much damage as anticipated. Aside from some flooding and a few reported injuries from the different parts of the town, luckily, there were no fatal casualties.

Anybody in need of shelter from the tsunami in the local area were invited to stay at the manor. By mid-morning, the water from the impact had receded, but it took at least another six hours for the roads to be cleared of obstacles. Once all of that was taken care of, locals were then allowed to return home, but even after the first wave of people left the property, it took almost three more hours to assist in reuniting the families which had been separated during the chaos.

By 10 p.m. on the second day of their vacation, Walter and Paige finally had the manor to themselves.

“I’m determined to say we’re cursed, Walter,” Paige sighed as she fainted on the bed, too tired to change her sweaty, dirty clothes. “I mean, I get that we couldn’t exactly control the weather today, but… this was the fourth time. _Fourth!_ ” She groaned in frustration.

“We’re not cursed,” Walter replied as he kicked of his shoes, peeled off his shirt and stripped out of his jeans. “It’s scientifically impossible for people to be cursed.” When she rolled his eyes at him, he quickly added, “We just have horrible timing. Next time, for sure, we’ll get things right.”

“You sound so confident, Genius-boy,” Paige laughed a little and moved closer to her boyfriend. “It’s too bad we have to leave early tomorrow morning. It would have been nice to finish where we left off, but I’m too sore right now to think about having sex.”

“Me too,” Walter mumbled as he lazily threaded his fingers through her sweaty, matted hair. “I could probably sleep for an entire week, and I’d _still_ be exhausted from today.” He then turned slightly towards Paige and draped his arm over her stomach. He snuggled against her, not caring how sweaty and smelly she was before whispering, “To be honest, it might be a few days before we can try consummating our relationship again.” He chuckled a little and added, “Helping that family get their car out of that muddy puddle pretty much threw my lower back out….”

“No arguments here,” Paige replied with a small smile as she rubbed her nose softly against his cheek, “I fell on my ass while helping a woman chase down her damn dog all over the beach, and I’m pretty sure I pulled a hip muscle…. It’s kinda painful to use the toilet so… I don’t think I’m up for any sexual activity either…. I expect I might be a little sore after we, you know…finally do it,” she awkwardly gestured towards their groin areas, “But being in pain beforehand just kills the mood.”

“Agreed,” Walter nodded before pressing a soft kiss to her cheek. As he nuzzled his nose against the side of her neck, she giggled before turning slightly to kiss him fully on the lips.

Her fingers laced with his, and she smiled slowly. “You know,” she gazed deeply into Walter’s eyes, “We make a pretty good team.”

“Yeah, we do.” Walter agreed, grinning ear to ear.

Paige was silent for a moment. “And we’ll make a great one as co-owners of Scorpion, too.”

Walter’s eyes widened after his brain processed everything she had said. “You mean….”

“Yes, Walter,” Paige let out a laugh, loving the way his eyes lit up and how a beautiful, colorful smile found his lips, “I’d be honored to co-own Scorpion with you.”

“Really?!”

“Really.”

Walter abruptly leaned forward and ignored the sharp pain shooting from his back as he kissed his girlfriend hard on the mouth. She hummed against his lips, and strung her arms around his neck to pull him closer to her.

She then closed her eyes to relax as Walter paused briefly and smiled at the liaison. “Paige?”

“Hm?”

Walter yawned and naturally moved closer to her before whispering, “I love you.”

The woman smiled slowly as exhaustion began to overtake her. “Love you, too, Walter.”

They never slept so soundly.


	5. 5 Times Walter & Paige Almost Made Love, and When They Did - Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 5 Paige arranges a romantic weekend in Mexico. Their cellphones are off, and no one on the team knows where they are. What could go wrong? A “5 Things” Fic collaboration by WeBuiltThePyramids, WriterFreak001 and FoxPhile. Cover art designed by WriterFreak001.

Chapter Five

by FoxPhile

* * *

 

“We are going to have our romantic getaway, if it’s the last thing we do!”

Paige settled herself into the passenger seat and closed the door.  Walter watched as she secured her seatbelt before putting the Malibu in gear.  He held no belief in jinxes or Murphy’s Law, but he understood the premise, and could not help hoping that Paige’s statement would not be prophetic. 

“If I were of a… superstitious nature… I would caution against making such statements.  Given that, thus far our uh… failure rate has significantly exceeded what might be expected; taking measures… however ludicrous… to diminish the odds of further failure may be advisable.”  Walter glanced quickly to his side and grinned. 

“This is not a matter to joke about, Walter O’Brien,” Paige grinned back, her expression at odds with the stern tone she adopted.  “I am a healthy adult woman in a healthy adult relationship and we have been thwarted four times now from taking that relationship to a physical level.   I refuse to give in!  We will have our moment and we _will_ …”

“Will what?” Walter asked.

Paige was beautiful when she blushed.  The hue tinting her cheeks reminded Walter of the flush she acquired when he kissed her – especially when he also stroked her skin in certain places.  It didn’t take a genius to discover that Paige particularly enjoyed when he fondled her breasts – although he was glad that a genius had.  He looked forward to finding out just how much she liked it. 

He blinked.  They had over three hour’s drive ahead of them.  Allowing himself to dwell on Paige’s breasts was an invitation to disaster.  Paige would never forgive him if he wrecked her car.  To say nothing of how he would feel if he were the cause of a fifth failed attempt to consummate their relationship.

In the past few days as they experienced frustration after frustration, Walter found that his desire to make love with Paige was no longer a matter of want – it was a matter of _need_.  He wanted their first experience to be pure; an expression of the best aspects of his feelings for her.  But the truth was, lately when he thought about it – and he thought about it nearly every waking moment – his thoughts became primal. 

_We've waited so long, waited so long._  
_I've got two tickets to paradise,_  
_Won't you pack your bags; we'll leave tonight.  
_ _I've got two tickets to paradise…_

Walter blinked again.  Under normal circumstances, he found listening to Paige sing along with the car stereo enjoyable.  This song, however, only reminded him of what hopefully awaited – finally.  It was going to be a long, long drive.

* * *

Paige stood on the edge of the veranda, watching the sun settle over the ocean.  Upon their arrival, she immediately unpacked and changed into a silky sleep outfit that consisted of impossibly short shorts and a buttoned tank top, covered by a filmy see-through wrap that revealed everything and danced alluringly in the light breeze off the ocean. 

Walter had changed as well.  He felt very overdressed in his long-sleeved pajamas and full-length draw-string pants.  Despite his desire, he still found himself shy of appearing nude – even with Paige; at least until things got heated.  He’d been ready and even anxious to remove his swimwear – and hers – during their last encounter.  Inappropriate as it was, if Walter believed in prayer, he’d be praying right now that he would soon find himself naked with an equally naked Paige in his arms.

She turned and smiled.  “Still shy, huh?”

Walter nodded. 

“You know, this place is so secluded, we could have Sex on the Beach if you want.” 

Walter walked up and wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her neck and breathing in the light scent of lavender.  It was intoxicating and arousing.  He wondered how he would manage in future to concentrate on work whenever Paige used her hand lotion.  He eased the filmy wrap off her shoulder and playfully nipped her skin.

“I believe the sand would likely be uncomfortable.  I’m fairly sure the very large bed just inside will make a more appropriate venue.”

He paused, “Um… before we get started, did you call Ralph?”

Paige laughed.  “Yes, he’s fine.  The Gronstadts will take good care of him.  They plan to take Ralph and Jimmy to the zoo tomorrow, and they have the number of that burner phone I brought, just in case.”

“Good.  I have my phone, but it’s been turned off since we left.  Your regular phone?”

“Same.  No one on the team can contact us directly, and they won’t be able to track where we’ve gone.  I loved Richard’s idea of a little “vacation” and I want _this_ one to go according to plan.  Although, just in case of a real world crisis, I casually mentioned to Happy yesterday that Ralph would be having a sleepover with the Gronstadts.  It won’t take her long, if it’s really necessary, to realize I wouldn’t let Ralph stay with them if they didn’t have a way to contact me.  But Happy’s not stupid.  I’m pretty sure she’s figured out what… what we’ve been trying to do.  She won’t bother us unless it’s something really, really big.”

“Really, really big, huh?” Walter grinned, pulling her closer and kissing her lightly.  He had become familiar with the concept of innuendo, and was gratified that his attempts generally elicited giggles and the occasional bloom of color.  He was discovering that what he previously found distasteful with other women, was fun and exciting with Paige.  It amazed him that he had for so long dismissed love as a fantasy.  It was far from that.  Love, he was finding, was an incredibly powerful thing; capable of changing something terrible into something wonderful.  He couldn’t wait to find out just how wonderful. 

“Come with me, love,” Walter urged, walking backwards into the room.  “We can still enjoy the ocean and the breezes and the sunset and all the romance of what is really just natural phenomena from within the confines of the bed.  I don’t want to take any chances that further delay will invite another interruption – even with all the precautions we’ve taken.”

Paige laughed, awkwardly trying to undo Walter’s buttons as they stumbled together towards the bed.  Her wrap slipped off her shoulders and she wiggled an arm to allow it to fall somewhere in the middle of the floor.  Walter felt the edge of the bed hit the backs of his knees just before he fell backwards.  Paige’s grip on his shirt caused it to rip slightly as he fell, but then she was on top of him.  His arms immediately wrapped around her and he rolled slightly, until they were facing each other, lying side by side crosswise across the bed. 

“I um… don’t think this is really how this is supposed to work,” Paige commented.  She got up on her hands and knees on the bed, looming over him.  “Come on,” she continued, leaning down to kiss him.  “Race you to the head of the bed!”  She began to crawl towards the inviting pile of pillows and Walter turned just in time to see her wiggle her bottom at him before she turned and sat.  She patted the space beside her.  “I’m waiting!”

Walter scrambled to bring his own legs fully onto the bed and find his way across the expanse.  Then she was in his arms and he was in hers and they were kissing, tongues tangling and hands grasping ears and hair and clothing.  Of all the things they’d done so far, Walter was sure that kissing Paige was his favorite.  That didn’t mean he wasn’t using a small part of his brain to work at the buttons on her top.  He resisted – just barely – the urge to simply rip it off.  Paige liked her clothes.  He knew that.  He had to be careful, no matter that he felt he might implode if he couldn’t feel her, skin on skin.  

Without warning, Paige pulled her mouth away from his and Walter heard a disappointed moan that he barely recognized as his own.  Paige was pushing on his shirt sleeve and he twisted until his arm was free.  Then she wiggled down until the top of her head was just below his chin.  Without any other part of her within reach, Walter kissed the top of her head until he felt her mouth wrap around one nipple.  Her tongue was swirling around it as her hand reached up and began to tease the other.  Walter was well aware that this was something men did to arouse women, but he never dreamed that his nipples, which he’d so zealously hidden from view, could be the source of such pleasure.  Before he could process what was happening, Paige reached down with her other hand, letting it rest just below his navel.  She paused a moment and lifted her head.  Dimly aware of the interruption, Walter looked down. 

“Is this okay, Walter?  If I touch you?” She asked. 

Walter didn’t understand the question.  She’d been touching him – amazingly touching him – all this time.  Why would she ask now?  Then he felt her fingers questing tentatively beneath the waistband of his pants.  Suddenly it was clear.  Even though they’d discussed boundaries and agreed on some limits, she was asking his permission before proceeding into areas previously unexplored.

“Will it be… too much?”

Walter nodded his head.  Paige immediately withdrew her hand.  “Oh… okay.”

“No… I mean yes,” Walter replied.  “You can touch me… pretty much anywhere you like.”

Paige smiled.  “Back atcha, genius-boy!”

Paige resumed her attentions to his nipples while simultaneously loosening the drawstring on his pants.  Suddenly, she was on her knees, hovering over him, one hand on either of his hips.  She hooked a single finger under each side of his waistband and paused, looking intensely into his eyes.  The question was obvious.  The answer even more so.  He nodded vigorously. 

Paige gently tugged downward and Walter wiggled his hips to help.   Within a moment, she was back in her previous position, kissing various spots on his torso, pausing to nibble or suck here and there.  One hand teased its way along the line that snaked downward from his navel.  Walter couldn’t quite see where she was headed, but that was hardly necessary.  As she wrapped her fingers around him, he realized he was allowing her to do everything.  That certainly wasn’t his intent, but their current position made it nearly impossible for him to reach any part of her that could bring her pleasure.   He raised his head and looked down, raising his hands in the air, trying to determine if there was an erogenous zone anywhere within reach.  Finally, he determined that he would simply have to shift their positions. 

He placed a hand on either side of her waist and twisted, moving slowly, considering where her hand still was.  At the same time, he moved further down, which unfortunately put his nipples out of Paige’s reach but brought his lips down to hers.  He kissed her long and deep, marveling that there seemed to be a direct link between the two points of contact; as though an electric current sparked by their entwined tongues travelled through his abdomen and down to where her fingers continued to produce incredible flares of pleasure. 

Walter could not help comparing this experience to others in his past.  He couldn’t believe the excitement and anticipation he was feeling.  He needed to make sure the experience was just as incredible for Paige. 

He groped with one hand and began working again on the buttons of her top.  Finally, the last one popped open and he pushed the slippery material away so that he could cup her soft breast with his fingers.  He circled her nipple with his thumb, working his way closer until he could feel it harden and she began to hum.  Reluctantly, he pulled his lips from hers and trailed a path of kisses on her chin, and then further until he replaced his thumb with his mouth.  Recalling her invitation, and emboldened by the knowledge that he’d been there before, Walter moved his own hand down to her tiny shorts and slipped inside.  She was warm and wet and slick and Walter stroked slowly up and down just inside the folds.  After a moment, he drew one finger up until he could feel the hardening nub.  Paige sucked in a breath and Walter responded by flicking his tongue rapidly against her nipple while simultaneously using the pad of his finger to alternately rub, then encircle her clit. 

“Ooooh,” Paige gasped.  She began to squirm and twist in the bed and Walter smiled.  A moment later, Walter felt a swoosh of silky material slide across his arm and realized that Paige was struggling to push her pants down.  He abandoned her breast for a moment to assist, and between them they were able to shove the material down to her knees.  A few awkward kicks later and Paige was fully naked on the bed beside him. 

It was finally happening.   The thing he’d never thought he’d ever want.  The thing he realized he wanted since he first danced with Paige and since he’d gazed at her through a shower of fake snow.

"Abran! Policía! Abran de inmediato!"

There was a violent knocking at the door.  Whoever it was repeated, in English.  “Walter O’Brien!  Open immediately!  This is the law!  Police!  Open!”

 

* * *

 

Paige paced the floor.  She’d pleaded with the man in the suit and the uniformed officers with him, but they’d been implacable.  Walter was wanted by the Mexican State Police.  The hotel operator recognized his name from a watch list and reported him as soon as they registered.  She tried her best to convince them, in English and in Spanish, that there had to be some mistake.  But they’d put handcuffs on Walter and taken him away, only allowing him to put his shoes on.  When the knock came, he’d jumped off the bed and shrugged quickly back into his pajama top, running around to the other side to grab her wrap and fling it towards her.  He hopped to the door then, struggling to pull his pants back on, barely dragging them up to his waist before the deafening pounding resumed.  She could only imagine how he must have felt, being dragged out to the street with his shirt flapping open and his half undone pants sliding dangerously down his hips.  Walter who was so shy… subjected to what must have seemed to him like being paraded through the streets naked.

She hadn’t given a thought at the time to her own embarrassment.  She had her shirt buttoned, the bedcovers pulled up around her waist and the wrap around her shoulders before Walter reached the door.  As the men came in, she was able to wiggle back into her pants underneath the covers.  But the top covered almost nothing and the state of the bed made it obvious what they’d been in the middle of.  Despite the seriousness of the situation, she found herself blushing furiously every time she recalled the smirks of the men. 

They would not allow her to come with them, nor tell her anything about where they were taking Walter.  Which was probably just as well, because there was likely nothing she could do and it was much more important that she contact Cabe and the team and get Scorpion working on clearing up this mess – whatever it was.  Cabe promised he would get Homeland and the State Department working on things and now the team were on their way down.  Sylvester was doing his best to hack into Mexican law enforcement computers to try and find out where Walter was being held, and on what charges. 

She went to the door for probably the fiftieth time, realizing as she did so that she would likely see the same thing – an empty courtyard with no sign yet of her friends.  But she was wrong.  Toby and Happy lead the way up the walk, followed by Cabe.  Paige found herself clutching Sly, who wrapped his arms around her and held tight. 

“Hey, hey, Paige,” Sly whispered.  “We’re going to figure this out and we’re going to get Walter back.  Scorpion never fails.  It’ll be okay.”

Hearing her son’s words echoed by the man who was like her brother nearly undid her again.  How would she ever tell Ralph if they were not able to free Walter?  She couldn’t think of that now.  She had to find out what Scorpion had been able to do so far.  She eased herself away from Sly and brushed at her eyes. 

“So… what have you all been able to find out?” she demanded. 

Cabe walked up and put a hand on her shoulder.  “Why don’t we go inside.  I know things seem bad, but we’ve got a good bead on what’s happening and I think we can work this out.”

Paige released a breath.  She turned back towards the door of the bungalow, where just hours ago she’d been in Walter’s arms.  Looking up, she saw Toby eyeing her.  She knew if he said one inappropriate word, she would make Happy a widow before she was wed. 

“Paige,” Toby began.  “We all care about Walter.  Love him, even.  We’re gonna find a way out of this, or our name is not Scorpion.”

Paige smiled weakly.  Just when you thought you knew a guy!

 

* * *

 

Walter sat on a stone bench in a small, hot room.  There was a barred window near the ceiling, and a stainless steel toilet/sink combination in one corner.  They’d removed the handcuffs when they shoved him inside, and he’d been able to button his shirt.  But they pulled the string out of his pants, claiming that it represented a risk.  If he stood, he had to hold his pants up with one hand. 

He’d not been able to find out what charges he was being held on or any other information.  He’d asked to speak to the American consulate – he was a citizen now, after all.  He was told that the American Embassy had been informed.   Under the best of circumstances, he knew it could be hours or even days before a Consular Officer would visit. 

He had confidence that Paige would contact Cabe and he and Scorpion were probably working right now on securing his release – or at least getting him legal representation.  But he resigned himself that he might be stuck here for days before he even saw anyone who might be of help.

And he still hadn’t managed to make love with Paige. 

“Get up, Mr. O’Brien.  There is someone here to see you.”

Walter looked towards the door, which was being unlocked by yet another uniformed guard.  The man who originally arrested him was standing outside. 

“A representative from the American Embassy has come,” the man said.  “You are either very lucky or very important.  I’ve never known the Embassy to send someone so quickly.”

Walter stood quickly, then suddenly made a grab for his pants.  Holding his waistband tightly with one hand, he approached the door. 

“Please put your hands in front of you Mr. O’Brien.  You must have the handcuffs again.  Capturing Walter O’Brien is quite an accomplishment.  We would not wish to have you escape.  If you try, we might have to shoot you.”

Walter looked up.  He was surprised to realize there seemed to be no malice in the man’s expression, despite the implied threat.  He recognized that the man was simply stating the facts as he knew them.  It was an attitude that Walter could appreciate, despite the situation.  He followed the man and the two officers, doing his best to hold his pants up. 

 

* * *

 

In the interview room, Walter nearly gave things away. 

“Fortunately, these Tijuana police don’t know one American credential from another.  I flashed my Homeland badge, told them I was from the Consulate and here I am,” Cabe said as he sat at the small table.  “Now let me tell you what’s going on.”

“Please,” Walter agreed.  “But first – is Paige okay?”

Cabe looked up from where he was shuffling papers.  “Paige is doing as well as can be expected, son.  She’s worried about you.  I wish I could have brought her with me, but I just couldn’t trust either of you not give things away.  I take it you two were down here for a romantic rendezvous?”

Walter could feel himself blush and Cabe quickly amended, “No – you don’t have to tell me anything.  That’s your business.  I promise I’ll get you back to… whatever it was you were doing… just as quick as I can.”

“Oh… okay,” Walter agreed.  “What are all these papers?  Legal documents?  Are those my charging papers?”

Cabe smiled.  “Nope.  This stuff doesn’t mean a thing.  I just brought it along for the act.  Here’s what Sly’s been able to find out.”

Walter listened as Cabe explained that his arrest was based on a standing warrant by the Mexican State Police for one Walter O’Brien who was wanted for fraud against the Mexican government.  The Walter O’Brien named in the warrant had contracted with the government to provide computer security services.  After taking a large advance payment to cover living expenses and equipment, the man had left the country, having failed to provide any services whatsoever. 

“Well, obviously, this guy is some other Walter O’Brien”, Walter noted.  “I’ve certainly never defrauded the Mexican government.”

“I’m not even sure the guy’s name is really Walter O’Brien,” Cabe said.  “But the good news is, we have proof that it’s not you.”

“Proof?  What kind of proof?”

“Well, son,” Cabe responded, taking a folded paper out of his pocket and pushing it across the table. “Seems before he skipped the country, the other Walter O’Brien went out celebrating with some of new friends.  This picture was taken to commemorate the occasion.  More than likely, the Mexican authorities would have gotten around to looking at this themselves… eventually… and realized you look nothing like this yahoo.  But probably not before you spent too many nights in their fine accommodations.  All I have to do is get State to pressure the boys in blue down here to put two and two together a little quicker and we’ll have you out of here.” 

Walter frowned.  “Any chance we can get this done tonight?”

Cabe sighed.  “I’m afraid not, son.  It’s already too late for us to contact any of the official Mexican government offices.  I’m afraid you’re going to have to stay here tonight.  But I’ll be up with the roosters in the morning, waking up whoever I have to, to get you out of here sooner rather than later.  Trust me, son.”

Walter’s shoulders slumped.  “I trust you Cabe.  I just really wanted to…”

“I know, Walter.  I know.”

 

* * *

 

Walter stepped out of the van.  Thanks to Cabe, he was wearing normal clothes again and didn’t have to worry about his pants falling down.  Like most governments, not much happened in Mexico on a Saturday, so he’d spent two nights in a Mexican jail.  He supposed it was a story he could tell his grandchildren someday – if he ever had grandchildren.  Now all he wanted was to see Paige.  He didn’t care if all of Scorpion and half of Homeland Security were waiting inside the little bungalow, he was going to take her in his arms and kiss her like he’d never kissed her before.

 "Walter!” Paige came running across the courtyard and flung open the gate, practically jumping into his arms. 

“Oh-Okay.” Walter said, grinning as he wrapped his arms around her.  On impulse, he picked her up and spun around.  He’d seen such scenes in romance movies.  He’d been unable – still – to give Paige the romantic interlude she deserved; the least he could do is give her a moment. 

“Woah! The Prodigal Genius returns!”

 Walter stopped spinning and set Paige down, but kept one arm around her.  “Toby!” Walter acknowledged his friend.  “I take it Happy and Sly are inside?”

 “Yes,” Toby responded, “They are.  We all stayed here while Cabe worked his magic on State and the Mexican authorities to get you sprung.  Sly and Cabe stayed two cabins over while me and the Missus made sure to keep the bed warm for you two.”  Toby winked and nudged Walter in the ribs. 

 “Oh God!” Paige cried. 

 “Let’s just go inside,” Walter groaned.  “I want to get the heck out of this country!”

 “Toby!” Cabe called from where he stood by the van.  Why don’t you get Happy and Sly to get their things and get out here.  We’ll get on our way and let Walter and Paige have a little time to get themselves together.  Walter?  Are you okay to drive home?  I can come with if you need and let Happy drive the van back to LA.”

 “I’ll be fine, Cabe.  Thanks,” Walter responded as he steered Paige towards the front door.  He did feel the need to shower and change clothes. 

 They met Happy and Sly just inside the door.  Happy surprised Walter, giving him a big hug.  Sly patted Walter on the back and told him he was glad to know his brother was not a wanted criminal.  Before long, Walter and Paige were alone, standing on the veranda, looking out at the peaceful ocean.

 “We… we have a little time before we really have to leave,” Walter ventured.  “We could… try again?”

 Paige turned around and put her arms around his neck.  She kissed him, but Walter realized it was a kiss of promise.

 “I know we’ve been frustrated so many times, Walter.  But I don’t want to be rushed.  Plus, I heard what Toby said,” she glanced towards the bed and shuddered.  “He may just have been joking, but I really can’t stomach the thought of…”

 “No… no… you’re right.  There will be another time.”

 “Oh, you can bet on it!” Paige winked and turned back into the room.

 “Wait!” Walter pulled her back, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.  “I know I’ve said this before, but I really, really love you, Paige Dineen.  If you want romance, then I want to give you romance.  You deserve it.  And this,” he waved his hand toward the bed, “this will happen when it’s meant to.”

 Paige smiled.  “I know.”

 

* * *

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the final chapter. I hope that you guys have enjoyed all the frustration that we built up for you! (Trust us, it was rough for us, too.)
> 
> Now have some Waige smut.

He wished the phone call had come in before he’d left the garage to pick Paige up considering the traffic he’d inevitably incur driving back, but considering this was usually their busiest day of the week, Walter certainly wasn’t complaining when Cabe told them that, for once, the world didn’t need to be saved.

It was probably for the best.  Sylvester was working on a political speech that would keep him from reading the garage until three in the afternoon, and Happy and Toby were off “on business,” which Walter knew was their way of saying that they were sneaking off to see Happy’s father in prison.

He and Paige usually stayed late with Ralph at the garage anyway, it wouldn’t be inconvenient at all for their day to start midafternoon.

“Thanks for coming all the way here, especially since you didn’t have to,” Paige said as she let him in.  “I joked to Ralph that the Duck Avenger did something to my car, because it conked out while still on that tank of gas.”

“It’s not that far, you know,” Walter said.  “And maybe I didn’t want to wait until this afternoon to see you.  I’m accustomed to being around you in the mornings.”

“That’s sweet,” Paige said, smiling at him as she loaded some plates into the dishwasher and turned it on.  “Thankfully the carpool is extremely accommodating, and I don’t have to find a way to get him home until after rush hour. Ralph is going over to Daniel’s after school.  I guess they’re working on a project together.”

“I’m glad that they’re friends,” Walter said.  “They’re good for each other.  They have different strengths and weaknesses but they can understand each other on a level that most others can’t understand them.”

“Yeah,” Paige nodded.  “That’s the kind of relationship that you want to nurture.  They’re lucky to have each other.”

“Agreed.”

Paige came over and slid her arms around him, and Walter smiled affectionately at her.  She cocked her head almost playfully.  “You know...” she glanced around the apartment.  “We’re completely alone.  For almost six hours.”

He raised his eyebrows.  “This is an accurate observation.”

Paige grinned, sliding her hands up to his cheeks and pressing her lips to his.  He kissed her back eagerly, feeling her grin against his lips.

She pulled back.  “Bedroom?”

“Yes.”

Paige’s stride faltered slightly as they entered her bedroom, and Walter noticed her roll her lower lip under, biting it lightly, as she shut the door.  Then she looked back at him, smiling, but he could see a little...hesitation?  “Are you nervous?” Walter asked curiously.

Paige smiled.  “A...a little, I guess.”

“We can wait,” Walter blurted, hoping she wouldn’t say that’s what she wanted.  He’d been attracted to her for _so_ long, they’d been trying to do this for over a week, and God, he didn’t want to wait any longer.  But if Paige wanted to...

If Paige wanted to, he would.  No question.

“No,” she said quickly, much to his relief.  “No, it’s more like...like we’ve been wanting this and now...now it’s going to happen.  It’s a good nervous.” She smiled, taking both of his hands.  “It’s a wonderful nervous.  Like wow.  It’s here.  You and me.  We’re going to do this.  Trust me.  It’s the best kind of nervous.”

“That seems like an oxymoron,” Walter said, but oddly, he understood.  He leaned in and kissed her.

“Mmmm,” Paige hummed against his lips, letting go of his hands and bringing hers up to tangle in his hair.  She leaned against him, sighing into his mouth.  Walter slid his arms around her, holding her against him.  She fit against him.  She was so warm.  “Oh my god, I can’t believe we’re finally doing this,” she mumbled, pushing harder against him and pressing her palm against the back of his head as she kissed him more deeply.  They remained there for a while, just inside the doorway, kissing and kissing and kissing.  Walter loved kissing her, but his favorite kind of kissing was exactly what they were doing now, with full body contact, arms around one another, lips parting only when oxygen was necessary.

“Come on,” Paige whispered eventually, stroking the side of his face with the back of her fingers, kissing him again before turning and walking toward her bed.  She turned, facing him as she sank down on it and scooted up toward the pillows.  He crawled over her, leaning down to kiss her again, his body curving over hers as her knees separated their chests.  She wiggled, stretching her legs out in front of her, and he lowered himself, resting on his forearms, moving his lips to her throat.  She tipped her head back, giving him more room, sighing quietly as she slid a hand up between his shoulder blades to his neck.

Then she stiffened and sat up, forcing him up to his knees.  “Oh...”

She looked concerned, and he looked at her in alarm.  “What’s the matter?”

“Just...just so you know before we get started, um...” she drew her lower lip under and hesitated.  “I uh...I don’t moan all that much,” she said after a pause.  “I’m more of a...” she gestured to her chest.  “My breathing gets really heavy and loud but I usually don’t moan, at least not at the beginning.  A little eventually.  I just...I don’t want you to think you’re doing anything wrong.”

“Oh.  Okay.  I uh...” Walter shifted uncomfortably, unsure how to tell her that he really didn’t know what he did.  She knew that he’d never had a good experience.  But she didn’t know the extent.  “Okay.”

“Don’t be so unnerved, Walter,” she said affectionately, reaching for the top button on his shirt.  Her smile put him at ease.  “I’m already having a very good time.”  Smiling even as she brushed her lips against his again, she got the first button done, then the second, then the third.  “Are you?”

His verbal response morphed into a low groan as Paige slipped her hand inside his shirt and began to roll one of his nipples between her thumb and index finger.  She leaned forward, catching his groan between their lips as she kissed him again.  He couldn’t believe he’d been afraid to let her touch him like this.  He wanted her to keep touching him like this.  The sensations her fingers were creating trailed rapidly down to his groin.

Walter eased her back against the pillows, undoing the rest of the buttons on his shirt and wiggling until it was off.  Paige took advantage, removing her own top and unhooking her bra, though she left the straps over her shoulders.  Walter took it as her way of telling him where she wanted him, and he gently tugged the bra free, gently running a hand from her stomach up to one of her breasts.  Paige inhaled quickly.  Walter ran his thumb around it, then repeated the motion in the other direction, trailing his fingers lightly.  Build up to it, he reminded himself, continuing to lightly tease one and then the other.  Finally, he ran his thumb over her nipple, feeling it harden, and Paige’s fingers tightened around his hair.  “Jesus Christ,” she breathed, her chest pushing upward against his hand.  Walter cocked his head slightly as his thumb continued to rub, noticing that Paige’s demeanor had changed very quickly.  He sat up, swinging a leg over to straddle her, then lowered himself, his hips pressing down on hers to hold her in place as he leaned over and placed a hand on each of her breasts.  Leaning forward, he kneaded them both, increasing the pressure when she gasped again and he felt her hips jerk underneath him.  He lowered his head, pointing his tongue and flicking it around one of her nipples, using his thumb to rub underneath.

Paige exhaled sharply through her nose, and Walter was beginning to understand what she’d told him about.  Her face was flushed, and her chest was rising and falling more dramatically than it had been just minutes before.  He lifted his head, wanting to see her face as he continued his attentions with both his hands.  She looked back at him, a look in her eyes that he’d never seen before.  It terrified him in an absolutely wonderful way.

“Oh, that’s good,” she whispered, closing her eyes and tipping her chin toward the ceiling. “ _Oh_ , that’s good.”

“Good,” he murmured, mesmerized by her expression, her breathing, the way her hips shifted beneath his.  He removed his left hand, licked his finger, and ran it around her hardened nipple.  Paige brought a hand up to her mouth as Walter saw and felt her stomach clench.  He gave the same attention to her other breast, his left thumb continuing to massage.

She pushed up on her elbows, her hair falling over on both sides of her shoulders.  Walter tipped his head to the side, kissing her on the mouth, and as his hands kept moving he felt her quiet gasp more than he heard it.  She thrust her chest forward against his hands, letting out another tiny sound as her head lolled to the left.  “Walter Walter Walter,” she gasped quickly, opening her eyes and putting both hands on his shoulders, wiggling her hips.  “No, don’t stop,” she said, her voice higher than usual, when he quickly removed his hands.  “No, just...” He swung his leg back over, freeing her, and Paige unzipped her jeans.

Her hands were shaking slightly, and Walter helped her work them down her legs.  He tossed them aside as she lay back and frantically slid her hand underneath her underwear, her eyes falling closed again.  He crawled back over her, lowering his head to capture her lips while one of his hands grabbed her wrist and removed her hand from between her legs.  “Let me,” he whispered against her mouth, sliding his hand under the band as he propped himself up on one of his elbows.

His other hand, still covering one of her breasts, tightened around it as his fingers dipped lower, and he groaned into her mouth as he felt how wet she was.  “ _God_ , Paige.” 

“You’re so...” she began in response, but the rest of her sentence trailed off into another gasp.

He ran his finger around her clit, clockwise, then counter, applying light pressure, never quite touching it.  He lowered his head and Paige tipped her head back again so he could kiss her neck.  He remembered what she’d done to him earlier, and slowly closed his thumb and finger around her nipple, rolling it between his fingers.  Paige let out a tiny whimper that turned into a slightly sharper sound when he pressed down on her clit and moved his finger side to side, and a word passed her lips that he’d never heard her use as she turned them to meet his again.  Her breathing almost sounded labored now, and Walter felt her hand return to his hair as she bit down on his lip.  It hurt, and he shook his head slightly, quietly asking her to let go.  Paige obliged.  “Don’t stop,” she gasped. “I...”

Walter could feel her legs trembling and he saw the same in her abdomen.  He had no intention of stopping.  He’d never even come near getting a woman this close before.  And now, Paige Dineen, the only woman he had ever loved, was about to come apart next to him.  Because of _his_ touch.  He kissed her jaw, both his hands continuing to work, and it was barely another minute before she tensed, shook, then grabbed the hand that was in her underwear and pulled it away, turning her hips away from him and drawing a shaky breath in and out.

Walter looked down in concern, startled by her abrupt movements.  “Are you okay?”

She nodded, her eyes still closed, a small sound coming from the back of her throat.  She took a few more breaths, then rolled fully back onto her back, giving Walter a full view of how her body had flushed.  “Oh my _God_ , that was good.”

“Are you okay?” He repeated, placing his palm on her stomach.  “You pulled away.”

“No,” she said, reaching up and placing her hand on the side of his face.  “I just get really sensitive when I...it hurts if you keep touching me.”

“Oh.” Walter nodded.  “Might have been nice to know beforehand.”

“Don’t ruin this,” she said, but he could tell from the smirk on her face that she was at least partly joking.  She pushed up on her arms, shifting into a seated position and wrapping her arms around his neck.  Her lips were swollen and warm when they reconnected with his.

“I love you,” he mumbled again, parting his lips as she asked him to with her tongue.

“Mmmm,” she said, one of her thumbs stroking an ear.  When their lips parted for air, Paige lowered her head, quickly locating the spot on his neck that she’d discovered what felt like lifetimes ago.  “Take off the rest of your clothes,” she whispered as he groaned quietly.

He wanted to, but for the moment, he couldn’t.  They were wrapped up in each other’s arms and her tongue was dancing along _that spot_ on his skin and he couldn’t fathom ever moving, ever stopping what was happening right now.  He grunted again, a hand sliding up into her hair, managing to turn his head ever so slightly to kiss her near the ear.  Then she lifted her head, tearing her lips away from his neck to meet his own, and then shifted away enough so his head could clear and he removed his pants.  He had the waistband of his boxers between his thumb and index finger when he froze.  “Uh...”

Paige crawled over to kneel on the other side of him, tugging open the drawer near her bed and pulling out a shiny wrapper.  “Got them for our Mexico trip.”  She gave him a tiny smile.  “If only your fraudulent ways hadn’t interfered.”  She looked down at the condom, turning it over in her hands.

“Hey,” Walter said gently.  He knew how shaken she’d been by his mistaken arrest, and her attempt to joke about it might have masked her true feelings back when they’d first met, but he could read people better now.  Especially her.  She was trying to joke about it because it still upset her.  “Paige, look at me.”

She did, and Walter scooted closer.  “I’m not going anywhere.”  She nodded, giving him a tight lipped smile as he leaned forward and drew her into his arms.  He turned his head, kissing her cheek, rocking her gently.  Knowing how comforted she was in his embrace made him feel good, and he instantly felt guilty, as if his ego was capitalizing on her pain.  He shook his head slightly to clear the thought.  That wasn’t it.  He was glad that he was a safe place for her because she was exactly that to him and he was so, so grateful.

Paige lifted her head and placed both of her hands on the side of his face, kissing him deeply, and he could feel an intensity in it that was somehow stronger than it already had been.  He kissed her back, his hands on her hips, reveling in how soft and warm she was.  She sighed into his mouth, a hand trailing down his chest, fingers splaying over his abdomen.  “Boxers.  Off.”

Walter tore his mouth from hers and lifted his hips, allowing her to tug his last article of clothing down his hips.  She held the condom up.  “Do you want to?”

Walter hesitated.  He desperately wanted her to touch him, but for some reason asking her to cover him felt wrong.  He took the condom from her and undid the wrapper.

Paige lightly trailed a hand up and down his thigh, her eyes following her hand’s movement.  Walter set the condom wrapper on the nightstand and tucked his legs underneath him, sitting up and brushing her hair back behind her ear.  He lowered his mouth to her neck and locked his lips around the soft skin, sucking lightly.  Her hand came up, pressing against the back of his head, a breathy _yes_ escaping her lips.  He lifted a hand to one of her breasts, massaging it slowly, feeling the nails from her hand begin to dig into his scalp.  “Walter,” Paige breathed, then with slightly more substance, “ _Walter_.”  She dropped her head, her lips to his ear, her voice barely audible.  “Walter, I need you in me.”

It was the hottest thing he had ever heard.

Paige shifted around until she could ease back against the pillows, and Walter crawled over her, pressing a kiss to her stomach, then between her breasts, then on either side of her neck before returning to her lips.  Then he lifted his head, looking down at the woman beneath him.  “I love you,” he said.

She shifted her hips to give him more room, and Walter slid a hand under one of her hips as he slowly pushed inside her.  Paige drew in a deep breath, her eyes locking on his.  He pushed farther, until his hips were nearly against hers, and stopped, unsure if he wasn’t supposed to go this far quite yet.  “Oh my God,” she breathed, her hands on his chest.  “You feel so good, Walter.”

At her words Walter looked down at her curiously.  They were both completely still.  And yet he understood.  She felt incredible around him.  He’d assumed that, at least in this case, all women would be the same.  And yet...

“So do you,” he whispered, lowering his head and returning his lips to hers as he slowly began to rock his hips.  The hand that had been underneath her hips slid up to tuck under her back.

This was a first time in more ways than one.  All of Walter’s previous encounters had been unpleasant, uncomfortable, something he’d done out of obligation and never truly wanted.  This was different; whether it was their feelings for each other, their natural physical chemistry, or both, Walter had never felt like this.  _This_ was incredible.

Paige wrapped her legs tightly around him, pulling him deeper inside her, and Walter grunted. Shifting his weight, he lifted partly off her, making it easier for him to ease a hand between them.  Her mouth fell open, and a quiet moan filled the air as she lifted a hand to push her hair back.  Her other hand returned to his chest.

 _Focus on her, focus on her, focus on her._   Walter exhaled, closing his eyes, repeating what he’d done earlier, rubbing around her clit without actually touching it.  It seemed efficient, he thought, to be gliding in and out of her while still managing to tease at the same time.  He felt her hands continue to play at his chest, producing sensations he’d never imagined he could feel, and he groaned again, loudly this time, as she caught one of his earlobes between her lips and sucked.  She was getting the better of him, and, suddenly anxious, Walter gritted his teeth in determination as he lightly pinched around her clit.  Her legs tightened again, making the stimulation more difficult, and Walter lowered himself over her, kneading a breast with the hand he wasn’t needing for balance and grinding his hips against hers with each thrust, trying to substitute for his hand.  By the way one of Paige’s hands clamped around his hand, he inferred that something he was doing was working.  _Come on._

He could feel her legs begin to shake again, and he hoped that was a sign that she was close because there was no mistaking it, and he picked up the pace slightly.  Locating Paige’s lips with his own, Walter felt the puffs of air that accompanied her pants.  She cursed again, gasping and letting out a shaky breath.  “Holy hell, Walter,” she managed, in a stage whisper.  “ _Oh_...God...” She closed her eyes, her mouth falling open, and Walter could feel her pulsing around him as she came, hard, shaking as she wrapped both arms around him and gasped for breath.  The feel of her made his breathing grow ragged, and Walter stilled, groaning with the effort, his breath hot against her neck.  He could feel her slowly coming down from it, the tightening around him growing less intense, and he kissed her again before shifting backward and pulling all the way out of her. 

He ran his hand gently up and down her thigh, kissing her gently along her collarbone.  “Wonderful,” he murmured.

The contented smile on Paige’s face rapidly turned to confusion.  “Walter...”

“Hmmm?”

“What...what about you?”

Walter debated saying he didn’t know what she was talking about, but that would be a lie that actually physically hurt.  He hadn’t been completely honest with her.  He hoped she wouldn’t be angry.  “Uh...”

She sat up, rubbing one of his arms gently.  “Walter, what is it?  Please tell me.”

Walter drew in a slow breath.  “It’s embarrassing.”

“I promise I won’t make you feel embarrassed.  Talk to me.  Walter, it’s _me_.”

“I told you before that all previous encounters have been…unpleasant.  In…several ways.”

There was a silence, as Paige regarded him.  “Walter,” she said, looking curiously at him.  “Are you…are you telling me that…that you’ve never…”

Walter dropped his eyes.  He was grateful that she knew what he was getting at, but it was still uncomfortable to talk about. “No.  I mean, I mean yes, yes I am saying that...that no.” He looked back up at her.  “I haven’t.  Not…” he sighed.  “Not with a woman.”

She stared at him, her eyes wide, and he looked away again, embarrassed.  “Hey,” she said gently, tucking a few fingers under his chin and turning him toward her.  “So how did…”

“I pretended.  Then I’d uh…roll over.”

Paige licked her lips.  “And…and when you…pretended…”

“Janice knew.  She suggested that we try to have more of an emotional connection first.  So I tried to design s – something that would help.  But then I realized that…no matter how much the world told me I needed a relationship…I really didn’t believe that love was real.  At least, I knew I never would have real feelings for her.  So I ended things.  I’m sorry,” he blurted, realizing that they’d both agreed to not bring up former partners.  “I broke the ground rules.”

“No.” Paige leaned over and kissed him.  “You’re okay.”  She looked at him curiously.  “Is it a…psychological thing, do you think? Or a physical one?”

Walter shook his head.  He wasn’t incapable.  “I was just so uncomfortable with the s – situations.  And now…” He rolled his lips under his teeth and hesitated.  “This time...”  This time it was overwhelming, because he knew that if they continued, he _would_ get there _._  He drew in a breath. “This time it’s different.  And that’s overwhelming.”

Paige nodded.  Then she leaned in again, locking her lips over his.  He kissed her back gratefully, reaching up to put a hand in her hair as he stroked her lower lip with his tongue.  She parted her lips, allowing him access as her hand ran slowly down his chest.  Walter grunted as her hand moved lower and wrapped around him.  His teeth closed lightly on her upper lip, pushing his mouth against hers.

“This okay?” She whispered softly as her hand continued to move.

“Yes,” he breathed, kissing her again.  She kissed him back, shifting her weight to balance more on her other hand, and she paused, shifting her weight again so she could remove the condom.  Her lips moved to his neck, and Walter’s head laid back against the pillow, groaning quietly.  Her tongue, her hand, her body next to his…his eyes fell closed as she picked up the pace, and he moaned again, loudly this time, one of his hands curling around the edge of the mattress.  “Paige,” he managed, beginning to pant.

She murmured something in response, lowering her mouth and flattening her tongue as it brushed over one of his nipples.  Walter swore his whole body clenched and he groaned again, the sheet in his fist quickly dampening with sweat.  His other hand came up to her shoulder, fingers digging into her skin as she traced around the nipple with his tongue.  “O – oh,” Walter managed, his head tipping back.  He knew his every breath was audible, he was close and he put a hand on her back.  “Kiss me,” he managed.  “Paige, please.  Kiss me.”

She lifted her head, her hand moving more quickly, and she reunited her lips with his, kissing him soundly, running her tongue along his bottom lip and humming into his mouth.  “I love you,” she murmured, sliding her other hand around the back of his head.  She removed her hand, tearing her mouth from his to spit into her palm, then wrapped it firmly around him again, pumping quickly.  Walter’s body was drenched in sweat from the night’s efforts and he knew every breath he took was loud and sharp and _oh God oh God oh God._ Walter let go of the sheets and wrapped his arms around her, tearing his lips from hers and groaning against her neck, long and loud as he came apart, his thighs shaking hard.  She kept her hand moving, slower, for several seconds.  “Oh my God,” Walter panted against her neck.  “Oh my God.”  He thought he knew what this felt like.  But this was astronomically more intense than anything he’d ever achieved alone.

Paige’s hand moved base to tip a few more times, slowly, soothingly, and then she took his face in her other hand and lifted it so she could kiss him again.  “I’ve got you,” she whispered.  “I love you.  I love you.”

“I love you,” he responded back, immediately, tugging her over him so she was better able to receive his embrace.  She obliged, straddling his hips, and he pulled her closer, lowering his head again so he could kiss her neck.  “You’re incredible.  You’re...”

He was embarrassed.  She’d had plenty of orgasms with men.  This...this was so significant, such a big deal for him, and she probably thought it was hilarious that he was so emotional over something that men were supposed to take for granted.  “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” Paige cocked her head.  “Don’t be sorry.”

“I’m just...it feels so...right...that this happened with you first,” he said as he let out a shaky breath, wondering if that was a stupid, sappy thing to say.  But Paige smiled and kissed him, deeply, tenderly, and he sighed into her mouth as she reaffirmed once again that he’d chosen wisely who to trust with himself.

“You know,” she said, “the day we met, and you came over to my old place?  I thought you were there for a booty call.”

Walter blinked.  “You’re kidding.”

“Nope.”  She settled next to him, a hand on his chest.  “People don’t normally show up out of the blue to offer you jobs.  I figured you’d thought about how we’d gotten along well and was interested in seeing if I was up for you spending the night.”

“Would you have?” He asked.  Sex had been the farthest thing from his mind that night, but now that she brought it up, that’s what most people would have assumed he was there to see about.  And he was curious.  That first night, if she’d have come on to him, he would have turned her down, if he’d even realized what she was doing in the first place.  While he’d felt oddly comfortable around her from the start, he was fresh off a failed attempt with Janice.

She shrugged.  “I mean, as a rule, I don’t sleep with guys I just met.  But it’d been a while, the day had been so exhilarating, and you were so...intriguing.  I...” a smile came over her face, one he suddenly recognized as being strikingly similar to the smile she’d given him on the first night, just before asking him why he was there.  “I would have been up for it.”

“Considering all you know now, it would have been a disaster.”

“Things worked out good in the end,” she said, kissing him on the shoulder.  “I’m gonna go wash my hand.  Be right back.”

Walter stretched, grunting quietly as he watched her disappear into the bathroom.  He felt something like sleepiness beginning to come over him.  He shook his head, trying to clear it.  He didn’t want to fall asleep.

He wasn’t finished showing her how much he loved her.  He wasn’t finished seeing just what reactions he could get out of her.  He was absolutely delighted at what he’d learned so far.

Sitting up and swinging his legs off the bed, Walter ran a hand through his hair, then shook his head again and stood up, walking toward the bathroom.

Paige was standing at the sink.  He walked up behind her, and she smiled at him in the mirror.  She was putting lotion on her hands, and his nostrils flared as the scent reached them.  He knew that scent.  It was the same as the perfume she’d worn the night they first kissed.

Paige gave him a flirtatious look through the mirror.  “Can’t get enough of me, huh?” She said with a smile. 

Her statement emboldened him, and he lowered his head to brush his lips along the top of her shoulder.  Her eyes fell closed.  “Seems like you can’t get enough of me either,” he said, surprised at himself despite the confidence her statement had given him.  It was certainly a sentence he never thought he’d say, but he liked facts.  He liked to state facts.  And he had no evidence to suggest that Paige wasn’t just as unwilling for their activities to end as he was.

Walter slid his arms around her waist, pulling her close so her back was against his chest.  He kissed her cheek, then her ear, then moved rapidly down to kiss her neck.  Paige’s eyes were open, but Walter began to suck at her skin, and he could see via the mirror that it made them fall closed.  He hadn’t specifically come into the bathroom with these intentions, but he wasn’t going to abandon the opportunity.  He kept sucking, then ran his tongue gently over the spot and the mark he’d left there as one of his hands slid slowly up her stomach, the other following, both of them sliding over her breasts.  He moved his mouth to a new spot, fingers rubbing her nipples.

Paige moaned, surprising Walter, and staggered back, pushing against him.  Walter lifted his head, running his tongue lightly along her earlobe while his hands continued to work with slightly more aggression.  “Oh...” she gasped, repeating herself and including the word that Walter had never heard from her lips until today.  “Walter, _oh_ my...”

She gasped loudly, sharply, when one of his hands slid down her front and parted the skin around her clit, his index finger once again swirling around the bundle of nerves. “Walter, we’re in the bathroom,” she panted.

“Do you want me to stop?” He asked, his lips against her ear.

“God no.”  She was pushing hard against him, if for more contact or for support, Walter didn’t know.  But her skin was flushing again, her breath was contributing to steaming up the mirror, and her knuckles were white as they gripped the towel rack.  Walter’s fingers moved faster.  He enjoyed this.  He wanted to set aside an entire night, an entire weekend, to see how many times he could get her like this.  He only wished he had an extra arm, to help hold her against him while his other two continued to make her writhe.

He glanced at the digital clock.  He’d read that many women orgasmed easier after their first one, but almost as much time had passed as it took her the first time, and although she was panting and had even moaned a couple of times, her legs weren’t trembling yet.  Walter supposed perhaps this position was harder for her.  He applied more pressure to her clit and briefly removed his hand from her breast to wet his fingers again.  Paige whimpered.

Only a couple more minutes passed before Paige shuddered and let out a shaky breath, and he immediately removed his hands from where they’d been stimulating her to wrap around her midsection, holding her against him as she came apart.  “Holy...” Paige gasped, sliding a hand up to cup the side of his face.

She stepped forward and leaned on the counter, breathing hard.  Walter stepped closer to her, running a hand up and down her back.  “Are you okay?”

She gave a breathy chuckle.  “You don’t have to ask that every time, Walter.”

“Well, I do want to make sure.”

She stood up straight, though slightly unsteadily, turning to face him.  “You know I’d tell you if I wasn’t.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” She smiled, sliding her arms around his neck.  “It’s really sweet.”

“I love you so much,” Walter said.  His voice was low and intimate, and he saw the receding flush in her skin increase again at his words.  “Today has been incredible.”

“It has been,” she said, running a hand lovingly through his hair.  “It doesn’t have to end just yet, though,” she whispered, closing her eyes and kissing him.

“Odds are our immense success so far is because of the anticipation and frustration we’ve endured trying to get here,” Walter blurted, anxiety beginning to churn in his stomach.

“Probably,” Paige said easily, as if she’d considered the exact same idea.  “We’ll probably have to work a little harder after today.  I know...” she smiled.  “What works for me today pretty much always works for me.  But I normally need a little more time, especially at the beginning.”

He raised his eyebrows slightly.  “Challenge accepted.”

Paige giggled and blushed.

“I don’t know what I’m like,” Walter said, feeling anxious again.  As he’d told her earlier, he was _happy_ that his first orgasm with a woman was with her.  But now he wished he had more experience, so he could tell her what to expect from him on a consistent basis.

“That’s okay,” Paige said.  “That means I get to learn all about you _with_ you.”

“And that’s not inconvenient?”

“No,” she said flirtatiously, lightly rubbing his chest.  “I like that idea.”

“Paige?”

His tone betrayed the rush of emotion he was feeling, and her _yeah?_ was both soft and serious as her eyes searched his for a clue at what he was going to say.

“I’ve realized that...” he bit his lip, thanking his eidetic memory that he would always be able to recall the way she was looking at him.  “I’ve realized that I need you.  In all aspects of my life.  And in a way that’s terrifying but also...” he drew in a breath and let it out.  “But also it feels really nice.  To need you.  And to be with you like this just...” he smiled, suddenly very aware that they were standing there naked in her bathroom.  “It just feels so easy.  And right.  And...” _Stop rambling._  “And I just never imagined feeling this much.”  He dropped his eyes.  “I know you’ve felt this way before.  I sound like an idiot.”

“No,” Paige said, “no, no you don’t, not at all, Walter,” she cupped his jaw, gently making him look at her.  “Walter, everything you’re saying is...” she shook her head slowly.  “It’s so incredibly romantic.”  She smiled.  “Walter, the past is the past.  Sure, I’ve been in love before. But right now, there’s not anywhere in the world I would rather be right now than right here with you.  In your arms....” she pressed against him.  “God, I love your arms around me.”  She closed her eyes, nestling her head into the crook of his neck.  “I don’t know what I did to deserve to be this happy,” she said. 

Her words echoed Walter’s own thoughts.  “Maybe whatever we did,” he whispered into her hair, “we did it together.”  That would certainly be an efficient explanation, and judging by the way she seemingly melted against him at his words, it was clearly a romantic one as well.

“You know if you’d just stayed in bed we wouldn’t be doing this in my bathroom,” she whispered with a giggle against his neck.

“Oops,” Walter whispered, chuckling himself.  “Do you want to return to the other room?  Not...” he said quickly, “I mean, we don’t need to stand in here.”  _Lovely.  She thinks I just want to take her back in there and do it again._

Paige pulled out of his arms and studied him, her hands sliding down to find his and linking their fingers.  “Do you think you’re maybe up for a _lit_ -tle more learning?”

Walter was tired.  He’d assumed they were done with the newest aspect of their relationship, at least for today.  But her suggestion, the idea of being inside her again, the memories still at the forefront of his brain, made him suddenly feel more awake – and a little lightheaded.  “Yes,” he said eagerly, leaning forward and kissing her again.  “In a few minutes, rather.”

She grinned against his lips.  “Come on.”

She walked in front of him as they moved back into the bedroom, but her hand trailed behind her, fingers curled around his.  Walter looked down as they walked, enjoying the tiny act of intimacy.

Paige let go of his hand to crawl back onto the bed, laying on her side, and he joined her.  They faced each other, nearly nose to nose, and she smiled at him.  “I’m really, really happy, Walter.”

Walter wished he could tell her that hearing her say that he made her happy meant every bit as much as hearing that she loved him.  But he wasn’t sure exactly how.  She seemed to enjoy his blunt honesty when it came to his feelings for her, but he wasn’t familiar enough with love, or relationships, to know if what he thought even would make sense to her.  And he felt he had been sappy enough today.

He just loved her so damn much and he wanted to keep telling her.

He realized he hadn’t responded.  He went with a smile, sliding a hand down to find one of hers.  “I’m really happy too.”

Paige scooted closer, pushing him over onto his back, and cuddled close. He stroked her arm lightly.  “We can nap if you’d like,” she said after a few minutes.  “I’m certainly happy with the day so far.”

“Me too,” he said.  “But...” he kissed the top of her head.  “I am up for a little more learning, as you say.  We just...I don’t know that we can be like this all the time,” he admitted with a chuckle.

Paige giggled.  “No couple is like this all the time.  If they are, they’re in superhuman shape and probably don’t have jobs or children.”

“Certainly not the type of job that we have,” he commented.

“You need a little more time?” She asked.

Walter froze.  He had no idea.  Thankfully, Paige lifted up on her arm and kissed him, cupping the side of his face with her other hand.  Walter allowed her to part his lips with her tongue, sliding a hand around her waist.  They lay there, tongues tangling, for several minutes, before Paige slowly slid her hand down his body.  He was starting to recover, and he grunted when she wrapped her hand around him.  “Mmmm.  That’s good.”

“You’re about there,” she said after a moment, with a smile, sliding her hand all the way down and massaging him, fingers moving in circular motions.  Walter drew in a breath, pressing the tips of his fingers against her skin.  Any worries he had that he was done for the day evaporated.

He whispered her name, his breath hot, and she caught his lips between hers again, kissing him soundly before her hand released him.  She drew it up to her mouth, wetting her fingers, then slid her hand back down.  Walter shifted, kissing her on the neck.

After a few minutes, Paige pushed herself up on her hands, swinging a leg over him.  “Paige, wait,” Walter said, scooting up slightly and reaching for the box of condoms.  Paige moved back slightly to give him room. 

“There we go,” Walter said, smiling up at her.  He reached for her hands, tugging her gently back into place.

Balancing on the balls of her feet, she slowly began to lower herself onto him, her hands moving behind her, bracing on his thighs.  Walter watched as she closed her eyes and slowly breathed out as she took him in until she was resting on his hips.  “I could sure get used to this,” she said softly, her eyes partly opening as she smiled seductively down at him.  She wiggled and shifted, grunting quietly, and this time Walter didn’t ask if she was okay.  He could tell by her expression.

Paige eased into a more consistent circling motion, something new to Walter.  But it felt good.  The sensations made his eyes close briefly as a quiet groan escaped his lips, but after a minute or two, he forced them open again.  He drew his knees up and she shifted her hands for better leverage, beginning to move up and down on him, and Walter groaned.  “Shit.”  He began to thrust up to meet her, his hands on her thighs to help keep her stable.

God, he loved the look of her over him, loved the way her eyes closed for a period of time before opening them to look down at him lovingly, the way her hair fell around her shoulders...he grunted and tried to regulate his breathing, closing his eyes.  Men were supposed to take longer the second time, but it was becoming clear to Walter that focusing on the way she looked right now was going to bring him back to the edge too quickly.

Paige stopped moving, sinking all the way on to him and slowly rotating her hips.  Her hands were damp, resting flat on his chest.  “God,” she breathed.

Walter stroked the outsides of her thighs gently.  “What is it?”

She looked down at him, shaking her head slightly as her hips continued to slowly swivel.  “I can’t even describe how good you feel.”

He sat up, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her firmly.  She slid her hands to his neck and hummed softly into his mouth.  “I love you,” she whispered, kissing him again.  “I love you.”  Shifting her weight so she had leverage, she began to thrust again, slowly, taking in all of him, her lips still bumping gently against his.  He groaned quietly into her mouth.

After what seemed like no time at all, Paige began to thrust faster, her breath shortening to more of a pant.  “I love you,” she whispered against his neck.  “Oh my God, Walter.”  He felt her fingers digging into the back of his neck, felt the tension beginning to build in his groin, and everything was rapidly becoming too much.

“Paige,” he managed, choking out her name just before he groaned loudly, trying his best to move with her, though their current positions put her more or less in control of pace and force.  His body wanted to fall back, to gain leverage, to thrust hard up toward her until he lost control.  But something else wanted to keep holding her like this, the slightly more frustrating position be damned.  That something else won.

“Here, just...” Paige shifted slightly, leaning slightly back, her hands still around the back of his neck.  He held her around her waist, pushing his hips forward as best he could, feeling her begin to tighten around him, and he slid a hand up to one of her breasts, feeling her body tremble when he rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

She was close.  “Paige,” he gasped again, the feeling in his groin becoming so intense that part of him wanted it to stop and part of him wanted it to continue forever.  “Paige, please say it.”

Paige opened her mouth to speak, but the sound that came out was a moan.  Their amount of body contact allowed Walter to feel her tremble as she came, and the feel of her around him as her body let go nearly brought him with her.  “Paige,” he managed again.

“I love you,” she said, breathing hard, still in the throes of it all, and that did it.  Walter groaned again, his hips jerking, and he swore that he nearly blacked out.  He tightened his arms around her, needing her against him, and when his vision cleared and his body relaxed, he felt her slowly coming back.  Turning his head, Walter kissed her cheek.

“I love you so much,” she said again, her arms curling back around his neck as she buried her head.

“I love you,” he whispered.  “I love you too.”

She sat up, easing off of him so he could dispose of the condom while it was still easy to do so. Then he rolled onto his side, facing her as she rested on her back, her head turned toward him.  Walter scooted closer, resting a hand on her stomach.

“You were worth the wait,” she whispered.  “And I don’t just mean today.”

“You too,” he said with a smile.  _You’re the greatest thing I’ve ever waited for._   “I don’t often know how to articulate what I feel, but...but that sounds...sounds about right.”

She rolled onto her side and kissed him.  “I want to say thank you.”

He frowned.  “Why?”

“For trusting me.  I know things are still difficult for you, and today was new territory and...and you know how much I want to be the person you’re never uncomfortable around and...just thank you for trying so hard.”

“Paige,” Walter said, slowly, deliberately, “you’re the reason I can trust you.  Not me.”

“Trust has to be given too, Walter.”

She continued, but Walter wasn’t registering exactly what she was saying.  He was exhausted, and her voice, his favorite sound, was unintentionally lulling him to sleep.  He blinked, trying to focus.

Then Paige was gently pushing him over onto his back.  “You’re falling asleep on me,” she said with an affectionate smile.

“I’m sorry,” Walter said, smiling back at her.

She cuddled close, resting her head on his chest.  “We have time before anyone needs us.” She slid her arm across him, yawning.

“Wait.”  Walter sat up, reaching down for the comforter and drawing it up around them.  The sweat on his body was starting to cool and despite the warmth of Paige’s body against his, he was starting to feel a chill.

“There we go,” Paige said, snuggling up to him.  “Comfortable.”

“Mmm hmm,” Walter said, smiling.  He slid a hand up to her hair. 

Paige had mentioned to him that she was figuring to be sore after they finally did this.  Walter didn’t doubt he would be, too.

He closed his eyes, tipping his forehead to touch hers.  She was totally worth it. 

 _They_ were totally worth it.

“I love you,” he mumbled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We worked really hard on this; if you enjoyed a chapter, we really appreciate comments and kudos. :)


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